The Senate Committee on Public Accounts on Wednesday directed security agencies to arrest former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, over his repeated failure to appear before the committee investigating alleged financial discrepancies amounting to N210 trillion.
The directive followed Kyari’s absence despite several invitations extended to him by lawmakers probing audit queries raised by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation concerning the accounts of the NNPC between 2017 and 2023.
The committee expressed frustration over what it described as blatant disregard for the authority of the National Assembly and the constitutional responsibility of the Senate to conduct oversight on public institutions handling national resources.
During the heated session, former Edo State governor and Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, launched a scathing attack on the management culture of the NNPC, describing the oil company as an institution plagued by corruption and impunity.
“People want their children to work in NNPC because NNPC is a house of thieves and they want their children to benefit from it. NNPC has no reputation; your reputation is for fraud,” Oshiomhole declared.
The senator accused top officials of the corporation of acting above the law and undermining the authority of democratic institutions.
“We are under command. We cannot sit here and betray the rules we set because the way certain institutions are run, they see themselves bigger than Nigeria and believe that without them we cannot survive,” he said.
Oshiomhole further argued that the credibility of the law depends on its ability to hold powerful individuals accountable, not just petty offenders.
“I hold the view that the law is effective when it catches a lion, not when you detain a man who steals a rat or rabbit. That is the crisis of Nigeria,” he stated.
Calling for immediate action, the lawmaker urged the committee to exercise its constitutional powers without delay.
“Mr. Chairman, this committee must have the courage and the will to deploy its powers and issue a warrant not tomorrow, but today, and bring Mele Kyari either dead or alive,” Oshiomhole said.
“If he is dead, we want to see the body. We now say here lies a man who died without accounting for his alleged crimes that rose to trillions of naira. We are not talking of billions of naira.”
The senator expressed concern that such massive sums remained unaccounted for at a time Nigeria continues to rely heavily on borrowing to finance public expenditure.
“At a time when the country is borrowing billions of naira, we are talking of such money that has not been accounted for. These are serious issues raised not by laymen but by competent auditors,” he added.
Oshiomhole also questioned the source of funds allegedly used by Kyari for medical treatment abroad.
“Where did he get the money to pay for his medical bills in Germany?” he queried.
Insisting that Kyari must personally appear before the committee, Oshiomhole rejected any attempt at representation.
“Mele Kyari cannot be represented by another person. He is no longer a managing director. His responsibility is to account for his actions as MD. He cannot be represented in that capacity,” he said.
The senator further called for the arrest of both former and current NNPCL leadership, accusing them of collective responsibility in the alleged financial infractions.
“We should invoke our powers to order the arrest of Kyari and the present Managing Director of NNPC. The past and present are guilty of the same offence. They have shown total disregard for the Constitution and have failed to account for the gross abuse of our major source of revenue running into trillions of naira,” Oshiomhole stated.
The Senate committee has yet to announce a date for the next hearing as pressure mounts on anti-corruption and security agencies to act on the lawmakers’ directive.
