- EFCC interrogates ex-NNPC boss Kyari over alleged misuse of refinery funds.
- Kyari voluntarily appears before the anti-graft agency; remains in custody.
- Four bank accounts linked to Kyari frozen by court in ongoing probe.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has launched an investigation into Mele Kyari, the former Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, over alleged financial misconduct tied to the country’s state-owned refineries.
EKO HOT BLOG reports that according to an insider at the EFCC, Kyari is currently being questioned over the suspected misappropriation of funds earmarked for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries during his time at the helm of the national oil company.
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“We’re interrogating him based on allegations that funds meant for the maintenance of the three refineries may have been misused under his leadership,” the source disclosed.
The EFCC source confirmed that Kyari voluntarily honoured an invitation from the commission and has remained in custody as investigations continue.
This fresh development follows a recent ruling by a Federal High Court in Abuja, which temporarily froze four bank accounts linked to Kyari over suspected fraudulent transactions. The accounts, held with Jaiz Bank, were frozen in August after the EFCC filed an ex-parte application seeking the court’s intervention.
Kyari’s removal from office came earlier this year when President Bola Tinubu announced a sweeping shake-up of NNPC’s leadership. The president cited the need to improve operational efficiency and investor confidence in the state oil company as the reason for the overhaul.
Bayo Ojulari was appointed to replace Kyari as the new GCEO, while Ahmadu Musa Kida took over as the non-executive chairman, replacing Pius Akinyelure.
The investigation into Kyari is part of a broader EFCC probe into financial irregularities at the NNPC. On June 24, the commission arrested Umar Isa, a former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the corporation, in connection with an alleged $7.2 billion fraud tied to the same refinery rehabilitation projects.
