Over 500 anti-corruption lawyers on Wednesday stormed the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) at the Ministry of Justice in Abuja, demanding the immediate probe of Mele Kyari, the erstwhile Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
In a remarkable show of patriotism, the lawyers, under the aegis of the Guardians of Democracy and Rule of Law said they are out to rid the nation of corruption especially in the oil industry where Kyari and his allies sold the nation for a piece of porridge.
According to a petition co-signed Barrister Emmanuel Agada and Jonathan Uchendu, the lawyers lamented that Kyari’s leadership of the NNPCL was plagued with countless allegations of corruption, which were allegedly made inevitable by the opaque way he ran the organization.
The lawyers cited the controversy surrounding the rehabilitation and restreaming of government-owned refineries, where billions of dollars were spent, but the figures and facts do not add up.
The petition highlighted the case of Matrix Energy Limited, which allegedly invested $400 million in the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery, even as the Federal Executive Council had approved $1.5 billion for the repairs of the same facility.
The NNPCL is now reportedly owing Matrix Energy more than $2 billion, with the debt being serviced through daily crude oil allocations to Matrix Energy that are not being paid for.
The lawyers demanded that the AGF review all agreements entered into by the NNPCL under Kyari’s administration, launch a fact-finding investigation into the questionable transactions, and institute a commission of inquiry into the NNPCL’s handling of the refineries’ repairs under Kyari.
The protesting lawyers vowed to continue their agitation until Kyari is brought to justice and the truth about the alleged corruption is uncovered.
The petition added: “The Guardians of Democracy and Rule of Law strongly believe that getting to the root of this matter will help the Federal Government to account for how public resources were squandered on the controversial refineries’ repairs undertaken under the Kyari leadership.
“In view of the facts stated above, we request that the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation to immediately review all agreements entered by the NNPCL under the Mele Kyari administration.
“An investigation into the questionable transactions would also point the government in the direction of what funds to recover and from whom, which is sorely needed now considering Nigeria’s economic condition.
“Furthermore, investigating all that transpired will set the stage for holding even the current leadership accountable while equally identifying potential pitfalls for those who are now in charge so that Nigeria is not caught in a loop of repeating the same mistakes.
“A fact-finding investigation be launched to ascertain how much the Federal Government has lost to such agreements and recommendations on concrete steps to recover identified funds. We demand for an immediate judicial review of all matters related thereto.
“The Guardians of Democracy And Rule of Law will appreciate it if the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation can escalate the issue to a point where the Federal Government institutes a commission of inquiry into NNPCL’s handling of the refineries’ repairs under Kyari and the sacked board. “
A deputy Director at the office of the AGF, Winifred Adekunle who received the petition promised to deliver it to the Justice minister and assured them that prompt action will be taken.
