The Senate on Thursday withdrew the arrest warrant earlier issued against former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, and clarified that comments made by Senator Adams Oshiomhole describing the company as “a bunch of criminals and thieves” did not represent the position of the upper legislative chamber.
The development came during the ongoing investigation by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts into the financial records and transactions of the NNPCL.
The committee, chaired by Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, had earlier resolved to invoke its constitutional powers after what lawmakers described as repeated failures by Kyari to honour invitations to appear before the panel.
The decision followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Senator Victor Umeh, who argued that the committee could no longer delay its investigation into issues concerning trillions of naira in NNPCL accounts.
Proceedings took a dramatic turn when Senator Tony Nwoye informed the committee that Kyari was reportedly receiving medical treatment in Germany and was therefore unable to attend the hearing.
“I spoke to Mele Kyari about a week ago. He promised that he would be here. But incidentally, I learned last night that the man is hospitalized in Germany,” Nwoye told lawmakers.
His intervention drew criticism from Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, who accused him of appearing to defend the former NNPCL boss.
“You are not Kyari’s lawyer!” Nwaebonyi reportedly responded, leading to a brief exchange on the committee floor.
Nwoye, however, denied acting on Kyari’s behalf, insisting he was merely conveying information available to him while leaving the final decision to the committee.
Reacting to the earlier warrant, Kyari maintained that he never ignored the Senate’s invitation and described the action as surprising. In a letter addressed to the committee chairman, he stated that he had formally informed lawmakers of his medical trip abroad and his inability to attend the hearing.
According to Kyari, a letter dated May 11, 2026, was sent to the committee explaining his health condition and expressing his willingness to appear once he returns to Nigeria.
He also claimed he had not received the invitation in question and would have honoured it had it reached him.
The committee also heard from former NNPCL Chief Finance Officer, Bala Ajiya, who defended the corporation’s financial records and dismissed allegations that funds were missing from its accounts.
Ajiya told lawmakers that reports suggesting N210 trillion had disappeared from NNPCL books stemmed from misunderstandings involving accounting entries across different entities within the company’s structure.
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He further rejected claims that N5.8 billion was spent on the registration of the new NNPCL, explaining that the actual amount involved was N2.9 billion paid to government agencies, including the Corporate Affairs Commission and the Federal Inland Revenue Service.
According to him, all transactions were properly documented and can be independently verified.
The Senate also moved to distance itself from remarks attributed to Oshiomhole during Wednesday’s hearing, stressing that his comments about the NNPCL did not reflect the official position of the chamber.
The NNPCL had earlier responded to the remarks, rejecting any suggestion that the company was involved in criminal activities.
The investigation into the oil company’s financial records is expected to continue as lawmakers seek further clarification on issues raised in the audited accounts.
