The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has commenced an investigation into alleged abuse of office and misappropriation of public funds by several former senior officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), including two former chief executives, Mele Kyari and Abubakar Yar’Adua.
According to a letter dated 28 April 2025, referenced CR:3000/EFCC/ABJ/HQ/SDC.2/NNPC/VOL.1/698 and addressed to the Managing Director of NNPC, the EFCC requested certified records of salaries and allowances for 14 current and former company officials.
The letter, titled “Investigation Activities Request for Information,” confirmed that the anti-graft agency is probing alleged cases of abuse of office and financial mismanagement. It specifically seeks “certified true copies of their emoluments and allowances, including for those who have retired and no longer work with your organisation.”
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Among those named in the EFCC inquiry are: Mele Kyari, former Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO); Abubakar Yar’Adua, former Group Managing Director; Ibrahim Onoja, former Managing Director of the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) and Mustafa Sugungun, former head of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC)
Also under scrutiny are Isiaka Abdulrazak, former Group Executive Director for Finance & Services; Umar Ajiya, former Chief Financial Officer of NNPC; Dikko Ahmed, former PHRC MD; Ademoye Jelili, a power plant engineer; and Efiok Akpan, Manager of Production at KRPC. Others listed include Kayode Adetokunbo, Babatunde Bakare, Jimoh Olasunkanmi, Bello Kankaya, and Desmond Inyama.
The investigation is reportedly tied to the controversial $2.896 billion disbursed for the rehabilitation of Nigeria’s ailing refineries, which occurred during the tenure of the officials named. This includes $1.56 billion for the Port Harcourt Refinery, $740.6 million for Kaduna, and $656.9 million for the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC).
The EFCC’s action follows recent high-level shake-ups within the NNPC. In April, President Bola Tinubu dissolved the NNPC Ltd board, removing Mr Kyari along with Chairman Pius Akinyelure. Subsequently, Bayo Ojulari was appointed as the new GCEO, while Ahmadu Kida assumed the role of non-executive chairman.
The company has since announced a new eight-member senior management team and dismissed the managing directors of PHRC, WRPC, and KRPC.
Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, also confirmed during recent IMF/World Bank meetings in Washington, D.C., that a forensic audit of NNPC is underway. “The NNPC needs to come to the table with more dollar revenue,” he said, underscoring the government’s push for greater financial transparency within the national oil company.
