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By Tracy Moses
A group of protesters under the aegis of Concerned Citizens Against Corruption on Tuesday stormed the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, demanding the probe and prosecution of the former leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL).
The group is also calling for a comprehensive investigation into the company’s transactions over the past five years.
The protesters, led by their Convener, Comrade Kabir Matazu, expressed disappointment that despite President Bola Tinubu’s removal of Mele Kyari and the entire NNPCL board on April 2, 2025, no steps have been taken to scrutinise the financial transactions of NNPCL over the last five years.
According to the group, investigating the oil company thoroughly would help the Federal Government determine how public resources were spent on the controversial repairs of the refineries undertaken under the previous NNPCL leadership.
“An investigation into the questionable transactions would also guide the government in identifying funds to recover and from whom, which is urgently needed given Nigeria’s current economic situation.
“Moreover, investigating past activities will lay the groundwork for holding the current leadership accountable and help identify potential pitfalls, ensuring that Nigeria does not fall into the same pattern of mistakes,” the group stated.
In light of these concerns, the Concerned Citizens Against Corruption has called on the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General of the Federation to immediately review all agreements entered into by NNPCL under the Kyari administration.
The group further noted that the probe would unravel how much the Federal Government has lost through these agreements and make recommendations on how to recover any identified funds.
“We demand an immediate judicial review,” the group emphasized.
It further urged the AGF to escalate the issue to the point where the Federal Government institutes a commission of inquiry into NNPCL’s handling of the refineries’ repairs.
The protesters vowed to continue their push for accountability and transparency in the management of public institutions, stressing that Nigerians deserve to know the truth about the operations of NNPCL under Kyari’s leadership.
“It is on record that the removal of the former NNPCL leadership was widely applauded by Nigerians, especially groups like ours, which had been at the forefront of demanding accountability and transparency in government institutions.
“It is also important to note that the previous leadership of NNPCL faced numerous and ongoing allegations of corruption due to what was described as a lack of transparency.
“Nigerians are disillusioned that President Tinubu has only removed the former leadership without taking any concrete steps to investigate how they managed the organization.
“A key issue is the rehabilitation and restreaming of the government-owned refineries. The figures and facts simply do not add up,” the group added.