…Describe EFCC freeze order first step in oil wealth loot probe
The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties, CNPP, and Coalition of National Civil Society Organisations, CNCSOs, have called for the extradition of the former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, Mr. Mele Kyari, to Nigeria to face trial.
The political parties and the civil society coalition also said the court order freezing four Jaiz Bank accounts linked to the ex-NNPCL boss is “a welcome first step” but warned that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, must not reduce the scandal to another round of media sensation.
The coalition, in a statement by CNPP’s Secretary-General, James Ezema, and National Secretary of CNCSOs, Alhaji Ali Abacha, insisted that the EFCC must go beyond freezing accounts and activate INTERPOL to trace Kyari, arrest him, and extradite him back to Nigeria to face questioning and prosecution.
“For years, we raised the alarm that Mele Kyari’s management of NNPCL was fraudulent, riddled with looting, and protected by the Buhari presidency. Our calls were ignored, our warnings suppressed. Today’s EFCC action has vindicated us,” CNPP and CSOs said.
The coalition reminded Nigerians of its past alerts: “trillions of naira lost in subsidy fraud exposed in August 2022, shady crude oil swap deals revealed in February 2023, subsidy removal scandals unearthed in July 2023, withheld crude oil earnings flagged in January 2024, and crude oil theft operations under Kyari denounced in June 2024 after his sack by President Bola Tinubu.”
“Now, N661,464,601.50 has been tracked into suspicious Jaiz Bank accounts, disguised as NGO funds and book launch donations. That is only the tip of the iceberg. The real looting runs into trillions,” CNPP and CSOs added.
The groups of over 75 allied civil society organisations hailed President Tinubu for allowing the EFCC to act, contrasting it with the “shielding of sacred cows” under the late Muhammadu Buhari. But it cautioned: “Mr. President must not stop here. Nigerians will not forgive half measures. All stolen funds and assets must be recovered. Anything less will be a complicity.”
CNPP and the CSOs reiterated their demand for a forensic audit of NNPCL’s finances during Kyari’s reign and the establishment of an independent judicial commission to investigate both pre-commercialisation and post-incorporation dealings of the government owned oil company. It also pressed for immediate publication of EFCC’s findings, warning against selective leaks and media suppression.
“This is a litmus test for Nigeria’s fight against corruption. The oil wealth of this country has been stolen while citizens suffer hunger and poverty.
“If this government is serious, Mele Kyari and every accomplice must be extradited, prosecuted, and stripped of their loot. Nigerians demand justice, not excuses,” the statement added.
