By Onoja Baba, Nigeria
A fresh investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is now targeting the immediate past Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, and thirteen other former top officials of the national oil firm.
A document dated April 28, 2025, seen by African Culture TV on Saturday, revealed that the EFCC is probing alleged abuse of office and misappropriation of funds linked to the former executives.
Titled “Investigation Activities: Request for Information”, the EFCC letter was addressed to the current Group Managing Director of NNPCL. It requests certified true copies of the emoluments and allowances of the listed individuals, including those who have retired.
Among those under investigation are Ibrahim Onoja, Ademoye Jelili, Mustapha Sugungun, Kayode Adetokunbo, Efiok Akpan, Babatunde Bakare, Jimoh Olasunkanmi, Bello Kankaya, and Desmond Inyama.
“The commission is investigating a case of abuse of office and misappropriation of funds in which the underlisted officials of your organisation featured,” the EFCC document read.
The investigation comes amid growing criticism of NNPCL’s operations, especially its handling of Nigeria’s refineries.
Earlier this week, it was reported that the Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company (WRPC), which consumed \$897 million in rehabilitation costs, had failed to produce any petrol.
The facility, revived in December 2024, was shut down again within a month due to safety concerns in its crude distillation unit.
Similarly, the \$1.5 billion Port Harcourt refinery, touted as fully repaired, has been operating at just 37.87% of its installed capacity, casting further doubt on NNPCL’s claims of restoring local refining capacity.
In January 2025, it was reported that despite NNPCL’s assertions that the WRPC was producing fuel, activities at the facility were only skeletal compared to full operational levels.
The company, however, denied the report and insisted production was ongoing.
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