Abuja, Nigeria – Once celebrated as the face of Nigeria’s oil sector reform, Mele Kyari—former Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL)—now finds himself at the center of a financial scandal, with a Federal High Court in Abuja ordering the temporary freezing of four bank accounts linked to him.
The court’s action, announced on August 19, follows a rehellookayquest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which is investigating Kyari for alleged conspiracy, abuse of office, money laundering, and misappropriation of public funds amounting to over ₦661 million.
Justice Emeka Nwite, who presided over the motion, granted a 30-day freezing order on the accounts housed in Jaiz Bank. Though the EFCC had sought a 60-day freeze to allow completion of its investigation, the judge limited the order to 30 days, with the option to extend pending further findings.
According to court filings, the EFCC is probing suspicious inflows into four accounts identified as follows: account number 0017922724 in the name of Mele Kyari, account number 0018575055 under Guwori Community Development Fund, and account number 0018575141 under Guwori Community Development Foundation Flood Relief. Two of the accounts reportedly bear Kyari’s personal name.
In her submission to the court, EFCC counsel Ogechi Ujam argued that the freezing order was necessary to secure evidence while the investigation proceeds. She stated that the Commission had identified the funds as possible proceeds of unlawful activity, traced to Kyari through a web of bank transactions and proxies.
“The accounts are being used to warehouse funds derived from abuse of public office and suspicious dealings between the suspect and various oil firms with active contracts or ties to NNPCL,” Ujam told the court.
Justice Nwite, in his ruling, affirmed the EFCC’s request, saying: “I have listened to counsel to the applicant and gone through the affidavit evidence with the exhibits and the written address attached. I find that this application is meritorious and it is hereby granted as prayed.”
The judge adjourned the matter to September 23, when the EFCC is expected to report the progress of its investigation and possibly seek an extension of the freeze order.
According to the EFCC’s supporting affidavit, the investigation was triggered by a petition dated April 24, 2025, submitted by a civil society group known as the Guardian of Democracy and Rule of Law. The group accused Kyari of using his position as NNPCL GMD to facilitate questionable transactions and divert public resources through non-governmental fronts.
Officials of the EFCC’s Special Investigations Section (SIS), tasked with following the money trail, claim to have uncovered a pattern of suspicious deposits and transfers. These include payments from oil companies and NNPCL-associated entities into the Jaiz Bank accounts. Investigators also allege that the accounts are managed by Kyari through family members and close associates acting as fronts.
The Commission disclosed that ₦661,464,601.50, suspected to be proceeds of corruption, had been warehoused across the accounts over an extended period. The funds, it says, need to be preserved until the completion of the investigation and possible prosecution.
“The suspect opened and maintained various accounts under different names and organizations, but all indicators show that he remains the ultimate controller of the funds,” the EFCC stated.
Mele Kyari, who served as GMD of NNPCL from July 2019 until his exit in 2024, was widely regarded as a reformer during his tenure. He oversaw key policy shifts, including the transition of NNPC into a limited liability company under the Petroleum Industry Act, and frequently appeared in media defending government reforms in the oil and gas sector.
However, questions have continued to trail his leadership, particularly regarding unexecuted refinery projects, opaque contract approvals, and failed turnaround maintenance plans worth billions of naira.
Though Kyari has yet to respond publicly to the latest court order, he had previously denied any allegations of misconduct. In a May 2025 interview, he dismissed rumors of an EFCC probe as “mischievous fabrications” and said he remained open to answering any questions regarding his public service record.
The EFCC’s current action comes amid a broader push to hold public officeholders accountable in high-profile corruption cases. Analysts say the decision to pursue legal action against a former NNPCL head signals a more assertive stance by the anti-graft body under its current leadership.
The next hearing, scheduled for September 23, will determine whether the EFCC has made enough progress in its probe to justify extending the freeze or filing formal charges.
For now, the once-unquestioned oil executive remains under a legal and ethical spotlight, as Nigerians wait to see whether justice will follow the allegations.
Kyari’s fall from power—once propelled by reformist rhetoric and national trust—now mirrors a pattern familiar in Nigeria’s turbulent history of oil-sector leadership: bold promises, public acclaim, and eventual disgrace.
Whether this investigation ends in prosecution or exoneration, it marks a defining chapter in Nigeria’s ongoing struggle against institutional corruption.
Discussion about this post