Senate orders Mele Kyari’s arrest over alleged ₦210 trillion unaccounted funds as former NNPCL CFO insists no money is missing.

The Senate Committee on Public Accounts, has ordered the arrest of the immediate past Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, for refusing to appear before it over an alleged unaccounted ₦210 trillion between 2017 and 2023.

However, the former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of NNPCL, Umar Ajiya Isa, challenged the allegation, declaring that no money was missing and arguing that the ₦210 trillion being described as unaccounted for was far higher than the ₦54.5 trillion generated by the company during the same period.
The warrant of arrest against Kyari arose from his absence at the investigative session conducted by the committee on the alleged unaccounted ₦210 trillion.
Senators Saliu Mustapha (Kwara Central) and Tony Nwoye (Anambra North), both members of the committee, separately informed the Chairman, Senator Ibrahim Dankwabo (Gombe North), and other members that Kyari should be given another opportunity to appear, noting that he was reportedly receiving medical treatment in Germany.
However, other members of the committee strongly opposed the suggestion and urged the chairman to issue a warrant of arrest against him.
Specifically, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central), while opposing any further delay, said verbal explanations should not be accepted without documented evidence of illness. He was followed by Senator Victor Umeh (Anambra Central), who moved a motion for the issuance of a warrant of arrest against Kyari.
Seconding the motion, the Deputy Chairman of the committee, Senator Peter Nwaebonyi (Ebonyi North), said granting Kyari another opportunity for voluntary appearance would amount to a futile exercise.
“This is the ninth time this committee is meeting on the 19 queries raised against NNPCL by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, three of which were chaired by me.
“Mr Chairman, the time to issue a warrant of arrest against Mele Kyari is now because the committee must conclude its assignment and report back to the Senate,” he said.
The committee chairman subsequently put the motion to a voice vote, which was overwhelmingly supported by members. He then declared:
“Anywhere Mele Kyari is, he should be arrested and brought before this committee.”
The allegation of an unaccounted ₦210 trillion was, however, rejected by Ajiya during his submission before the committee. He argued that if such an amount had actually gone missing, audited reports would not have been published.
“To be clear: if money had gone missing at NNPC during our tenure, we would not have had the courage to publish audited accounts. For over 40 years, those accounts were either not prepared, not made public, or not even shared with the Auditor-General.
“₦210 trillion is an enormous sum. NNPC’s total revenue in the period under review was about ₦54.5 trillion, even before deducting production costs. It’s impossible for ₦210 trillion to be missing or unaccounted for,” he said.
He also dismissed claims that ₦5.8 billion was used to register NNPC Limited, describing the allegation as false and damaging.
Ajiya urged the committee to verify the claim with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service, now known as the Nigeria Revenue Service.
“Unfounded claims do real damage. They harm the reputations of individuals, the company, and Nigeria itself. International rating agencies use public information to assess countries. Negative, inaccurate reports can hurt Nigeria’s credit rating and our national interests.
“We’ve seen this before. While seeking about $2.5 billion in Chinese financing for the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano Gas Pipeline, an unpatriotic petition was submitted to Chinese authorities. Despite a sovereign guarantee, the financing was disrupted and the project remains uncompleted.
“Actions like that discourage public servants. At times it’s frustrating. But as Nigerians, we remain committed to serving our country and contributing to its development.
“When people claim ₦210 trillion is missing, they should be asked: where exactly did it go? Agencies like the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit and the EFCC should investigate and establish the facts so Nigerians can trust the truth,” he said.
As the investigation continues, the committee directed Ajiya and Bala Wunti, who served as Chief Upstream Investment Officer during the period under review, to reappear before it in two weeks.