A tense session played out at the Senate on Wednesday as the Senate Committee on Public Accounts issued an arrest order for Mele Kyari, former Group CEO of NNPCL. The committee took the step after Kyari failed to appear before lawmakers probing alleged unaccounted funds of ₦210 trillion from 2017 to 2023.
The directive came during an investigative hearing on 19 audit queries raised against NNPCL by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation. Committee members noted that Kyari had ignored several invitations, leaving the panel with no choice but to enforce attendance.
The hearing shifted when Umar Ajiya Isa, former NNPCL Chief Financial Officer, rejected the ₦210 trillion figure outright. He argued the amount exceeded NNPCL’s total revenue for the period, making the claim of “missing money” impossible. 
Some lawmakers pushed for leniency. Senators Saliu Mustapha and Tony Nwoye told the panel that Kyari was allegedly receiving medical treatment in Germany. They asked that he be given another chance to appear voluntarily.
That plea met resistance from other committee members. Senator Abdul Ningi insisted that illness claims must be supported by documents, not verbal statements. He said the committee could not proceed on assurances alone.
Senator Victor Umeh then moved a formal motion for a warrant of arrest. Deputy Chairman Senator Peter Nwaebonyi backed it immediately, saying further delays would waste time.
Nwaebonyi reminded the panel that this was their ninth meeting on the 19 audit queries. He noted that three meetings had been chaired by him, yet Kyari still had not shown up.
After a voice vote, Chairman Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo announced the decision. He ordered security agencies to arrest Kyari wherever he was and bring him before the committee to answer questions.
While the panel pressed for enforcement, Isa mounted a strong defense of NNPCL’s finances. He said the company recorded about ₦54.5 trillion in revenue during 2017–2023 before costs, far less than the ₦210 trillion alleged missing.
He added that NNPCL published audited accounts, unlike in past decades when reports were delayed or never released. Isa also denied claims that ₦5.8 billion was spent on NNPC Limited’s registration, urging verification with the Corporate Affairs Commission and FIRS. He warned that false allegations could hurt Nigeria’s reputation and investor confidence, citing how a prior petition allegedly disrupted a $2.5 billion Chinese loan for the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas project. He called on the EFCC and NFIU to investigate and establish the facts.
The committee wrapped up by asking Isa and former Chief Upstream Investment Officer Bala Wunti to return in two weeks. Lawmakers said the probe into the audit queries and NNPCL’s financial operations would continue.
