N210trn audit queries: Senate issues arrest warrant on Mele Kyari

The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has issued a warrant of arrest on former Group Chief Executive Officer, GCEO, of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, Mele Kyari, over his alleged repeated refusal to honour the committee’s summons.

The committee had invited leadership of NNPCL to appear before it to respond to audit queries involving a cumulative sum of N210 trillion spanning 2017 to 2023.

NAN also reports that the audit queries emanated from the audit report of the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation on expenditures of MDAs from 2017 to 2023.

The public accounts committee had said that the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, Bayo Ojulari, was expected to lead the delegation.

Other officials listed to appear included Kyari, former Chief Financial Officer Umar Ajia, Bala Wunti and the company’s external auditors.

However, at the resumed hearing of the committee on Wednesday, Kyari was absent, a development that infuriated the lawmakers.

Sen. Victor Umeh, who moved the motion to issue warrant of arrest, said Kyari’s attitude showed that he was not taking the committee serious.

“Kyari should be here; we cannot wait for him to appear before us at his convenience.

“It is a national emergency that Mele Kyari should cut short his trip anywhere in the world and return home.

“He should come before this committee to answer the questions put by the auditor-general for the federation against NNPCL.

“So if I am to say, I will say that this committee should issue a warrant of arrest against Kyari.

“We are talking about trillions of naira. The country is not faring well. If we have access to these funds, we will not be in this financial challenge.

“He must come and explain what has happened to these funds. So I so move that he should be issued a warrant of arrest,” Umeh said.

However, Sen. Tony Nwoye said that Kyari had spoken to him, assuring him that he would appear at the resumed hearing of the committee.

Nwoye said that the current information available to him indicated that Kyari was currently hospitalised at a hospital in Germany.

“I spoke to Mele Kyari; that was a week ago; he promised that he would be here.

“But incidentally, I learnt last night that the man is hospitalised in Germany; yes, he is in hospital in Germany,” the senator said.

Sen. Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, who attempted to shut down Nwoye from further making remarks, said that his colleague, Nwoye, was not the lawyer representing Kyari and as such, had no right to defend his absence.

He noted that Kyari had ignored summons by the committee for nine consecutive times.

Nwaebonyi consequently seconded Umeh’s motion, saying that a warrant of arrest should be issued on the former NNPCL GCEO.

Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Ibrahim.Dankambo, consequently affirmed the motion, following a unanimous voice vote by members of the committee on the motion.
NAN