{"id":119067,"date":"2025-05-22T19:13:50","date_gmt":"2025-05-22T18:13:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=119067"},"modified":"2025-05-22T19:13:50","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T18:13:50","slug":"alleged-corruption-anti-mele-kyari-protest-rocks-saudi-arabia-embassy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/alleged-corruption-anti-mele-kyari-protest-rocks-saudi-arabia-embassy\/","title":{"rendered":"Alleged corruption: Anti-Mele Kyari protest rocks Saudi Arabia embassy\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By Tracy Moses<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tempers flared and chants filled the air in Maitama, Abuja, on Thursday, as over 1,000 impassioned young Nigerian professionals laid siege at the Saudi Arabian Embassy, demanding the immediate denial of entry, and possible deportation, of former Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) chief, Mallam Mele Kyari.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The demonstrators, under the banner of the Young Professionals Forum of Nigeria, came armed not with violence, but with damning allegations and a thunderous appeal for justice. From lawyers to medical doctors, engineers to artisans, the crowd painted a striking picture of Nigeria\u2019s frustrated youth, angry, determined, and unwilling to let the powerful slip through the cracks of accountability.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Led by the Convener, Barr. Sambari Benjamin, and Organizing Secretary, Comrade John Ndubuokwu, the protest quickly drew attention from embassy officials and passersby. Placards bearing inscriptions such as \u201cCorruption Has No Sanctuary!\u201d, \u201cSaudi Arabia, Don\u2019t Be Complicit!\u201d, and \u201cKyari Must Face Justice!\u201d flapped defiantly in the wind.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In their formal petition, handed to officials of the Saudi mission, the group made a blistering appeal: that the Kingdom deny entry, visa, or asylum to Mele Kyari, who they allege is attempting to evade a swelling wave of anti-corruption investigations at home.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cReports reaching us indicate that Mallam Kyari may have already slipped into Saudi Arabia or is making frantic efforts to gain entry,\u201d Sambari declared, voice raised over the roar of the crowd. \u201cThis is not a pilgrimage, it is a getaway, disguised under the veil of religion and diplomacy.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), they claimed, have launched preliminary probes into Kyari\u2019s time at the helm of the nation\u2019s oil behemoth, where he allegedly presided over shady deals and unaccounted billions.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But the protesters weren\u2019t just pleading, they were warning.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cSaudi Arabia must choose,\u201d Comrade Ndubuokwu thundered, \u201cbetween standing with the Nigerian people or offering refuge to the architects of our national rot. If you grant him safe passage, you soil your own hands.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">To underscore the gravity of their appeal, the group drew on powerful religious rhetoric, quoting Quranic injunctions that denounce corruption and protect the sanctity of justice. They urged the Saudi leadership, as stewards of the Islamic world\u2019s holiest sites, not to tarnish their global reputation by harboring a man under moral and legal fire.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cThis is not just a legal issue, it is a moral one,\u201d Sambari said. \u201cA man accused of bleeding his nation dry must not find peace in sacred lands. Justice must echo beyond borders.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Their petition ended with a passionate plea for Riyadh to stand shoulder to shoulder with Nigeria\u2019s anti-graft agencies, sending a strong message that the age of impunity is over, and no fortress, spiritual or otherwise can shield the corrupt.<\/div>\n<div class=\"yj6qo\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"adL\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Tracy Moses Tempers flared and chants filled the air in Maitama, Abuja, on Thursday, as over 1,000 impassioned young Nigerian professionals laid siege at the Saudi Arabian Embassy, demanding&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":119068,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-119067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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