EFCC escalates Kyari’s alleged Kyari’s heist in NNPC as investigation nears completion
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Mele Kyari, former Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (GMD/CEO) has been directed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to report daily at its headquarters in Abuja as investigation is nearly completed and the case will soon be filed in court.
Other former NNPC top shots and contractors are also expected to be charged.
Kyari and other suspects first faced EFCC investigators on Wednesday over $2.5 billion allegedly spent on the rehabilitation of the four national refineries.
The EFCC last month obtained a court order to place restrictions on N661 million found in Kyari’s four bank accounts.
The Nation quoted sources as disclosing that the volume of documents being examined by detectives in the course of the investigation is much, hence the need for Kyari to show up every day to shed light on grey areas.
“The Commission has granted Kyari bail with a clause that he should be reporting daily for interrogation and interaction as the case may be,” one of the sources said.
“We have isolated issues for him to respond to, documents to verify and contractors to confirm or deny their claims.”
Former MDs/GMs of the refineries have reportedly been interrogated as well as some former officials of NNPC and contractors, and interrogating Kyari is said to be the final lap of the investigation.
“He is to fill in some gaps which will help us to prefer charges based on verifiable evidence,” the source explained.
He said barring last minute evidence or clarification, the evidence gathered so far indicate that Kyari may face trial alongside some former NNPC to brass.
“It is left to them to prove their innocence in court.”
About $18 billion was said to have been spent to refurbish the refineries since 2010 but they remain dormant.
Among other allegations, Kyari is being asked to account for more than $2.5 billion voted for turn-around maintenance (TAM) during his tenure, including disbursement of $1.55 billion to Port Harcourt Refinery, $740.6 million (Kaduna Refinery) and $656.9 million (Warri Refinery).
Kyari has since declared that he has nothing to hide.
TAM has been a major money pit of NNPC in the last three years in particular.
On 24 June 2022, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) awarded a Maintenance Services contract for Quick Fix Repairs of Warri Refinery to Daewoo Engineering and Construction Limited at $497,328,500.00.
This was different from the 2017 contract given to Saipem Contracting Nigeria Limited for Tech Plant Survey of the Warri and Kaduna Refineries at 2,025,000.32 Euros.
Rehabilitation of Kaduna Refinery and Petro-Chemical Company (KRPC) alone has gulped N2.266 billion in the past 10 years.
In February 2023, the NNPC approved a deal with Daewoo Engineering and Construction to renovate Kaduna Refinery in February 2023 and restore it to producing 110,000 barrels of petrol per day and to at least 60 per cent capacity by early 2024.
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