Senate threatens arrest warrant for ex-NNPC chief Kyari over ₦210tn discrepancy
Senate Committee on Public Accounts has threatened to issue an arrest warrant against former NNPC Ltd Group CEO Mele Kyari to compel his appearance regarding an alleged ₦210 trillion discrepancy in the company's financial reports covering 2017-2023. Kyari was removed from office by President Tinubu in April 2025 amid corruption-related petitions.
The committee chairman, Ibrahim Dankwambo (former Gombe governor and Accountant-General of the Federation), said Kyari has repeatedly failed to honor invitations to explain the discrepancy, first flagged by the Auditor-General in June 2025. Lawmakers expressed frustration, with some noting Kyari appears to be abroad despite expectations he'd attend hearings.
However, former NNPC CFO Umar Ajiya disputed the ₦210 trillion figure, stating NNPC's total revenue for the period was only ₦54.5 trillion, making the alleged discrepancy mathematically impossible. Ajiya urged EFCC and NFIU to conduct a forensic investigation to determine the truth.
The threat comes as NNPC, now led by Bayo Ojulari, previously submitted explanations that ₦103 trillion represented accrued expenses and ₦107 trillion was receivables - explanations the committee rejected, insisting on in-person appearance from leadership.