No fewer than five thousand demonstrators on Tuesday invaded the office of Justice Minister and Attorney General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) to call for the prosecution of Mele Kyari, the former Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited(NNPCL) boss.
Concerned Citizens Against Corruption, the group’s umbrella organization, also requested that the AGF thoroughly examine NNPCL’s transactions during the previous five years.
The organization, led by Kabir Matazu, its convener, voiced dissatisfaction that no action has been taken to look into the alleged corrupt practices during Kyari’s term, even after President Bola Tinubu removed Kyari and the entire NNPCL board on April 2, 2025.
The organization brought attention to issues pertaining to the restoration and reopening of government-owned refineries, claiming that billions of dollars were spent without accountability
They also cited the circumstance in which NNPCL is allegedly owed more than $2 billion by Matrix Energy, and the loan is being paid off with daily allotments of crude oil.
“It is on record that the removal of the erstwhile leadership of the NNPCL was widely applauded by Nigerians, especially groups like ours that have been at the forefront of demanding accountability and transparency in the management of institutions,” Matazu said.
“It is also notable that Kyari’s leadership of the NNPCL was plagued by numerous allegations of corruption due to a lack of transparency. Nigerians are disillusioned that the President has only stopped at removing the former leadership without initiating steps to investigate Kyari and his team’s management of the organisation. A key issue is the alleged fraud surrounding the rehabilitation and recommissioning of government-owned refineries. The figures and facts simply do not add up.
“In addition to the billions of dollars claimed to have been spent on refinery repairs, Kyari’s administration also alleged that Matrix Energy Limited invested $400 million in rehabilitating the Port Harcourt Refinery, even though the Federal Executive Council approved $1.5 billion for the same facility” Matazu added.
The group called on the AGF to urgently launch an investigation into all of the agreements the NNPCL made under Kyari’s rule.
“An investigation into these transactions would help the government identify funds that need to be recovered and from whom, especially considering Nigeria’s dire economic condition.
“Furthermore, such an investigation would ensure that the current leadership is held accountable and avoid repeating the mistakes of the past”, he said.
In addition, the Concerned Citizens Against Corruption encouraged the Justice Minister to press for a commission of inquiry into how the NNPCL handled refinery repairs under Kyari and the board that was abolished.
The demonstrators strongly demanded that Nigerians deserve accountability over the alleged corrupt activities under Kyari’s leadership and pledged to keep calling for accountability and transparency in the administration of institutions.
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