The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has placed former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, on its watchlist amid an ongoing probe into the $7.2 billion refineries’ turnaround maintenance project.
On Tuesday, the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the temporary freezing of four bank accounts linked to Kyari, following an ex parte application filed by the EFCC.
Sources within the anti-graft agency confirmed to Business Hallmark that investigations into NNPCL’s management of funds under Kyari had reached an advanced stage after several of his close associates were arrested and questioned.
According to insiders, EFCC detectives have secured documents and financial records believed to be critical in tracing how billions of dollars earmarked for refinery repairs were spent, despite the continued failure of the facilities.
A senior official of the EFCC, who declined to be named, said Kyari would soon be invited for interrogation. “Our investigation has gone far. Whether he is in or outside the country does not matter; he is already on our watchlist. Whenever we need him, we will get him,” the source said.
Another official explained that the commission’s silence on Kyari until now was deliberate. “It is to enable us gather sensitive information without interference. Several top officials are implicated, so we must be strategic,” the official noted.
Kyari was removed in April by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who announced sweeping changes to the NNPCL board, appointing Bashir Ojulari as the new Group Chief Executive Officer effective April 2, 2025. His removal was followed by EFCC raids on former refinery chiefs and other senior NNPCL officials.
On Tuesday, Justice Emeka Nwite granted the EFCC’s request to freeze the bank accounts, though he limited the order to 30 days instead of the 60 days sought by the commission’s lawyer, Ogechi Ujam. The court said the order could be renewed if required.
Ujam argued that the measure was necessary to preserve funds under investigation for alleged offences including conspiracy, abuse of office, and money laundering.
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