Senate Orders Arrest of Ex-NNPC Boss Mele Kyari Over N210tn Query

The Senate Public Accounts Committee has ordered the arrest of former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, over his failure to appear before lawmakers probing N210 trillion in audit queries.

The committee said Kyari and other former top officials had repeatedly failed to honour invitations to explain unresolved entries in the oil company’s audited accounts for the 2017 to 2023 period.

Oshiomhole Backs Arrest Order

APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole backed the move and urged the committee to use its powers to compel Kyari’s appearance. In a sharp exchange during the hearing, he said the former NNPCL boss must account for the figures before the panel.

The hearing also revived arguments over whether the disputed figures amount to missing funds or accounting entries that still need to be explained. Former NNPCL finance chief Umar Ajiya rejected claims that money was missing and insisted the figures had been misunderstood.

The Senate said the probe would continue until the discrepancies in the books were fully explained and the former officials answered the questions raised in the audit reports.

Sources: Punch Newspapers, THISDAYLIVE, TheCable, Vanguard News, Trust Radio