The Senate on Thursday vacated the arrest warrant earlier issued against former Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, and also distanced itself from comments made by Senator Adams Oshiomhole describing the company as “a bunch of criminals and thieves.”
The development came amid the ongoing investigation by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts into the financial records and transactions of the NNPCL.
The committee, chaired by Senator Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, had initially resolved to invoke its constitutional powers following what lawmakers described as repeated failures by the former NNPCL boss to honour invitations.
The decision followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Senator Victor Umeh.
“This matter has lingered for too long. Nigerians deserve answers. The committee cannot continue to wait indefinitely while critical questions concerning trillions of naira remain unanswered,” Umeh said.
The hearing witnessed a tense moment when Senator Tony Nwoye sought to explain Kyari’s absence. Nwoye informed the committee that the former NNPCL chief was receiving medical treatment in Germany.
“I spoke to Mele Kyari about a week ago. He promised that he would be here. But incidentally, I learned last night that the man is hospitalized in Germany,” Nwoye told the committee.
His intervention was met with resistance from Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, who accused him of appearing to defend Kyari.
“You are not Kyari’s lawyer!” Nwaebonyi fired back.
The exchange briefly disrupted proceedings as lawmakers debated whether Kyari’s reported health condition should affect the committee’s decision on the warrant.
Responding, Nwoye denied acting on behalf of the former NNPCL chief.
“I am not holding brief for Mele Kyari. I am duty-bound to bring this information to the committee. The decision on whether to issue a warrant of arrest is entirely for this committee to make,” he said.
Reacting to the arrest warrant, Kyari denied allegations that he deliberately avoided the Senate investigation and described the committee’s action as surprising.
In a letter addressed to the committee chairman, Kyari said he had formally notified lawmakers of his inability to attend the hearing because he was undergoing medical treatment abroad.
He stated that a letter dated May 11, 2026, had been sent to the committee explaining his health condition and expressing his readiness to appear before lawmakers upon his return to Nigeria.
“I remain very willing and ready to honour the invitation of the Committee and to appear before it once I return to the country,” he stated.
“However, I wish to respectfully state that I have neither received nor sighted the said invitation. Had the invitation reached me, I would have gladly honoured it,” he said.
Meanwhile, the committee also heard from former NNPCL Chief Finance Officer, Bala Ajiya, who appeared before lawmakers to respond to issues arising from the company’s audited accounts.
Ajiya strongly defended the corporation’s financial records and rejected claims that funds were missing from the company’s books.
“There is no money missing,” he told the committee.
According to him, reports alleging that N210 trillion had disappeared from NNPCL accounts were based on a misunderstanding of accounting entries involving different entities within the company’s structure.
He further dismissed allegations that N5.8 billion was spent on registering the new NNPCL, explaining that the actual amount involved was N2.9 billion paid directly to government agencies, including the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
Ajiya maintained that all transactions were properly documented and verifiable.
The Senate also clarified that remarks attributed to Senator Oshiomhole, in which he reportedly described the NNPCL as “a bunch of criminals and thieves” during Wednesday’s hearing, did not represent the position of the upper chamber.
The NNPCL had earlier responded to the comments, insisting that it was not a thief.
