By John Umeh
EFCC Arrests Sacked MDs of Port Harcourt, Warri, Kaduna Refineries
Mele Kyari, 13 Former Top NNPCL Executives Under Investigation
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested the recently dismissed managing directors and senior officials of the Port Harcourt Refining Company, Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company, and Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company over allegations of mismanaging nearly $3 billion earmarked for refinery rehabilitation.
According to findings by sources, the anti-graft agency is probing $1.56 billion allocated to the Port Harcourt refinery, $740 million to the Kaduna refinery, and $657 million to the Warri refinery — totaling $2.96 billion.
Former Managing Directors Ibrahim Onoja (Port Harcourt) and Efifia Chu (Warri) are among those detained. A top NNPCL source disclosed that one of the former MDs had N80 billion traced to his bank accounts. Officials suggested the scale of fraud may rival the “Emefielegate” scandal involving the former CBN governor.
Public Outcry Over Refinery Failures
Despite the NNPCL’s announcement that the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries resumed operations in late 2024, both facilities have significantly underperformed. The Warri refinery shut down less than a month after reopening due to safety issues. Port Harcourt’s plant has been running below 40% capacity.
Energy experts and stakeholders have harshly criticized NNPCL for misleading Nigerians. The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) noted that no petroleum products have been distributed from the Warri refinery since its January 2025 relaunch, forcing marketers to rely on private depots with fluctuating prices.
Widespread Probe at NNPCL
On Tuesday, the NNPCL sacked the managing directors of all three refineries and dismissed several top executives. Documents obtained by Saturday PUNCH show that the EFCC is investigating former Group Chief Executive Officer Mele Kyari and 13 other former senior executives, including Abubakar Yar’Adua, Isiaka Abdulrazak, and Umar Ajiya, over allegations of abuse of office and financial misappropriation.
The EFCC has requested certified records of their salaries and allowances. The commission has yet to officially comment, and NNPCL spokesperson Olufemi Soneye has not responded to media inquiries.
Experts Expose Structural Failures
Energy analyst Kelvin Emmanuel dismissed the refineries’ reported reactivations as “a charade,” noting that the Port Harcourt and Warri plants lack the necessary catalytic reforming units to produce Premium Motor Spirit (PMS). He questioned how crude is supplied to Warri, given that the vital Escravos pipeline is nonfunctional.
An April 2025 regulatory document confirmed that the Warri refinery — which consumed $897 million in rehabilitation funds — was shut down on January 25, 2025, due to faults in the Crude Distillation Unit’s main heater. The $1.5 billion Port Harcourt refinery is operating below 42% capacity, according to the same document.
Workers Plan Strike as Operations Falter
Refinery support staff at Warri have announced an indefinite strike starting May 5, protesting poor wages, lack of benefits, and casualisation. The planned action threatens to derail the restart of crude and vacuum distillation units scheduled for early May. Workers say the management reneged on promises made during the 2022 maintenance period.
Calls for Accountability
The Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has demanded a new investigation into the true status of the refineries. PETROAN President Billy Gillis-Harry said the facilities appeared operational during an earlier inspection but acknowledged that the group would reassess the situation.
Energy expert Dan Kunle described the entire rehabilitation project as a scandal. He revealed that the original Japanese firm that built the Kaduna refinery refused to return due to security concerns, forcing the government to hire alternative contractors at exorbitant costs. Kunle emphasized that the Kaduna refinery lacks a crude oil supply pipeline and said the funds spent on repairs were effectively wasted.
He also accused former NNPCL CEO Kyari of using public funds for media campaigns to mislead Nigerians about the status of the refineries.
