The Senate on Thursday withdrew the arrest warrant earlier issued against former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited), Mele Kyari, while also distancing itself from controversial remarks made by Senator Adams Oshiomhole describing the company as “a bunch of criminals and thieves.”
The decision followed deliberations by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, chaired by Senator Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, which is currently investigating the financial operations of the oil company.
The committee had earlier moved to invoke its constitutional powers after what lawmakers described as repeated failure by Kyari to honour invitations over ongoing inquiries into the company’s accounts.
The move was based on a motion sponsored by Senator Victor Umeh, who insisted that Nigerians deserved answers regarding alleged financial discrepancies.
During Thursday’s sitting, tensions rose when Senator Tony Nwoye informed the committee that Kyari was receiving medical treatment in Germany and had been unable to attend the hearing.
However, Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi opposed the explanation, questioning Nwoye’s position and sparking a brief heated exchange among lawmakers.
Kyari, in a letter to the committee, denied deliberately evading the investigation, stating that he had earlier informed lawmakers of his medical condition and his inability to attend the session.
He added that he had not received the latest invitation and reaffirmed his willingness to appear before the committee upon his return to Nigeria.
The committee also heard testimony from former NNPCL Chief Financial Officer, Bala Ajiya, who defended the company’s financial records and rejected claims of missing funds.
Ajiya dismissed allegations that ₦210 trillion was unaccounted for, describing the figure as a misunderstanding of internal accounting processes within the organisation.
He also refuted claims that ₦5.8 billion was spent on registering the restructured NNPCL, clarifying that the actual expenditure was ₦2.9 billion paid to regulatory agencies such as the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
Ajiya maintained that all transactions were properly documented and could be independently verified.
Meanwhile, the Senate clarified that comments attributed to Senator Adams Oshiomhole, in which he reportedly described the NNPCL as “a bunch of criminals and thieves,” did not represent the official position of the upper chamber.
The controversy follows an earlier reaction from the oil company, which had rejected the remarks and insisted on its integrity amid ongoing scrutiny of its financial operations.
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