TDThe Senate Public Accounts Committee has intensified investigation into alleged discrepancies amounting to about ₦210 trillion in the audited accounts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) between 2017 and 2023.
Former NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, and other former officials were summoned to appear before the committee.
The Senate threatened issuing arrest warrants for non-compliance against Kyari and other affected personnel.
According to information available to This Dawn News, the committee warned that warrants could be issued if the summoned officials failed to appear before lawmakers to answer audit queries.
The Senate said it intensified its investigation into alleged financial discrepancies amounting to ₦210 trillion in the books of the NNPCL, placing Kyari, and other former top officials under renewed scrutiny.
The development follows a series of hearings by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, chaired by Senator Aliyu Wadada, over audit reports covering the period from 2017 to 2023.
The committee has repeatedly questioned figures contained in the company’s audited financial statements and demanded detailed explanations from both current and former management.
At the center of the controversy is an alleged ₦210 trillion made up of approximately ₦103 trillion in accrued expenditures and ₦107 trillion recorded as sundry receivables.
Lawmakers argue that the explanations provided by the national oil company have not sufficiently accounted for the figures, prompting calls for deeper scrutiny and possible forensic investigations.
The Senate committee first summoned Kyari, former Chief Financial Officer Umar Ajia Isa, and former NAPIMS chief Bala Wunti in March after reviewing audit findings.
During the proceedings, lawmakers also questioned reported expenditures of about ₦5 billion to ₦5.9 billion associated with the transition from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to NNPCL.
While social media reports and some online publications have claimed that the Senate has already ordered Kyari’s arrest, available evidence suggests the situation is more nuanced.
Official reports indicate that the committee threatened to invoke its constitutional powers, including the issuance of arrest warrants, if invited officials failed to honour the summons.
The Senate has also directed that the company provide satisfactory explanations for the disputed figures and has supported calls for a comprehensive forensic audit of NNPCL’s accounts.
Lawmakers maintain that public accountability requires full disclosure of how the funds were spent or recorded.
Subsequent hearings revealed that some former officials communicated their willingness to appear before the committee, while the Senate continued to insist on personal appearances by key figures connected to the audited period.
The controversy has generated widespread public interest because of the enormous sums involved and the strategic role of NNPCL in Nigeria’s oil-dependent economy.
Civil society groups and transparency advocates have also called for full disclosure of audit findings and investigation outcomes.
As of June 2026, the Senate investigation remains ongoing.
No court conviction has been recorded against Kyari regarding the audit queries, and the allegations remain subjects of legislative investigation.
Takeaways:
- Senate has summoned former NNPCL officials,
- demanded explanations for the ₦210 trillion audit discrepancies,
- repeatedly warned that arrest warrants could be issued for failure to comply with its directives.
- threatened or considered arrest warrants for non-appearance, while the investigation remains ongoing.
