BREAKING: Protesters Storm AGF’s Office, Seek Judicial Review Of NNPCL Deals Under Mele Kyari
A group of anti-corruption advocates, operating under the banner of Concerned Citizens Against Corruption, staged a peaceful demonstration on Tuesday at the premises of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice in Abuja.
Naija News gathered that their mission was to press for the prosecution of the recently dismissed Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari.
The activists demanded a full-scale investigation into the financial dealings of NNPCL over the past five years. Leading the group was Comrade Kabir Matazu, who voiced discontent over the federal government’s silence following the removal of Kyari and the entire NNPCL board by President Bola Tinubu on April 2, 2025.
Despite this high-profile shake-up, the protesters noted, no effort has been made to scrutinize the tenure of Kyari or probe into the corruption allegations that had shadowed his leadership.
During the protest, the group drew attention to multiple troubling developments, especially the alleged financial mismanagement related to the refurbishment and reactivation of the country’s state-owned refineries. Billions of dollars, they claimed, have been expended without adequate public accountability.
They further referenced a puzzling financial entanglement in which NNPCL is said to owe Matrix Energy over $2 billion. According to the group, this debt is being repaid through daily allocations of crude oil — a process that lacks transparency.
Matazu stated: “It is on record that this sack of the erstwhile corrupt leadership of the NNPCL drew applause from Nigerians, especially groups like ours, which had been at the forefront of demanding accountability and transparency in the running of institutions.”
He continued: “It is also of note that in Mele Kyari leadership of the NNPCL was plagued with countless and endless allegations of corruption due to what was described as lack of transparency.
“Nigerians are disenchanted that Mr President has only stopped at removing the former leadership without taking steps to investigate how the Kyari and his team ran the organisation.”
Referring to the contentious refinery overhaul, he added: “In this regard, a sore point is the alleged fraud surrounding the rehabilitation and the restreaming of the government owned refineries. The figures and the facts are simply not adding up.”
Matazu also flagged conflicting financial claims: “In addition to the billions of dollars that the Kyari-led administration claimed to have spent on fixing the refineries, it also claimed that a oil company, Matrix Energy Limited invested $400 million in the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery. This is even as the Federal Executive Council had approved $1.5 billion for the repairs of the same facility.”
He noted further complications: “But there are even more perplexing issues emerging. The NNPCL is now reportedly owing Matrix Energy more than $2 billion. This debt is being serviced through daily crude oil allocations to Matrix Energy that are not being paid for.”
He then raised pressing questions: “There are consequently posers that require urgent clarifications. Why and how is the Federal Government through the NNPCL owing Matrix Oil $2 billion? Why is the debt being paid with daily supply of crude oil? Who were the parties to the negotiations of this deal? Why are Nigerians being kept in the dark?”
The group asserted that uncovering the truth is essential for Nigeria’s future: “The Concerned Citizens Against Corruption strongly believes that getting to the root of this matter will help the Federal Government to account for how public resources were spent on the controversial refineries’ repairs undertaken under the Kyari leadership.
“An investigation into the questionable transactions would also point the government in the direction of what funds to recover and from whom, which is sorely needed now considering Nigeria’s economic condition.
“Furthermore, investigating all that transpired will set the stage for holding even the current leadership accountable while equally identifying potential pitfalls for those who are now in charge so that Nigeria is not caught in a loop of repeating the same mistakes.”
The group urged immediate action: “In view of the foregoing, the Concerned Citizens Against Corruption calls on the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation to immediately review all agreements entered by the NNPCL under the Mele Kyari administration.
“This investigation should find out how much the Federal Government has lost to such agreements and recommendations on to recover identified funds. We demand for an immediate judicial review.”
They also called for a formal commission of inquiry to be set up by the federal government to examine the NNPCL’s operations during Kyari’s leadership, particularly concerning the refinery rehabilitation schemes.
The protesters pledged to persist in their advocacy for transparency and accountability in public institutions, stressing that Nigerians have the right to know the truth about how their national assets have been managed.
