The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is interrogating the former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, over alleged financial improprieties during his tenure.
Sources within the anti-graft agency, who requested anonymity, confirmed that Kyari was invited to the EFCC headquarters in Abuja to clarify transactions linked to his leadership of the state-owned oil company. “He is here with our investigators at the moment. That is all I can confirm for now,” one source said.
The EFCC has been probing alleged irregularities in the management of billions of dollars earmarked for Nigeria’s refineries.
Kyari had previously been placed on the commission’s watch list in connection with a $7.2 billion turnaround maintenance project.
In July 2024, the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the temporary freezing of four bank accounts linked to the former oil chief pending the outcome of fraud investigations.
Kyari, who led the NNPCL from 2019 until his replacement in mid-2024, oversaw reforms including the transition of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation into a limited liability company.
Efforts to reach EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale for comment were unsuccessful at press time.