Former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, has faulted the Senate Committee on Public Accounts over the issuance of an arrest warrant against him, insisting that lawmakers were fully aware he was undergoing medical treatment abroad and had already communicated his situation to them.
Kyari described the Senate’s action as “deeply shocking,” raising concerns over why a warrant was issued despite a formal notification sent to the committee weeks earlier explaining his absence and expressing his readiness to cooperate with the investigation.
In a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, the former NNPCL boss said he had informed the committee in writing on May 11, 2026, that he was outside Nigeria on medical grounds and had offered to respond to any urgent inquiries through his legal representatives pending his return.
“I am deeply shocked by the issuance of the warrant,” Kyari wrote.
The development has triggered fresh questions over whether due process was followed before the committee resorted to such a drastic measure.
Kyari maintained that he never ignored the Senate’s invitation and was surprised by claims that he had failed to honour a subsequent summons.
“However, I wish to respectfully state that I have neither received nor sighted the said invitation. Had the invitation reached me, I would have gladly honoured it,” he stated.
The former NNPCL chief stressed that his medical condition currently makes it impossible for him to appear physically before the committee but reiterated his willingness to fully cooperate with lawmakers.
“I also expressed my willingness to honour the Committee’s invitation as soon as I return to Nigeria,” he said.
“I remain very willing and ready to honour the invitation of the Committee and to appear before it once I return to the country.”
Kyari further urged the committee to channel any immediate questions through his lawyers while he continues treatment abroad.
The former oil chief also defended his stewardship of the national oil company, arguing that his management transformed NNPCL from a loss-making entity into a commercially viable and profitable organisation.
According to him, every transaction undertaken during his tenure was properly documented and remains available for scrutiny by relevant authorities.
“I remain deeply grateful to my country for the opportunity afforded me to serve with utmost diligence and commitment,” he said.
The Senate Committee on Public Accounts had on Tuesday ordered Kyari’s arrest after he failed to appear before it in connection with an ongoing probe into NNPCL’s financial records, including transactions reportedly running into over ₦210 trillion.
The motion for the warrant was moved by Senator Victor Umeh and seconded by Senator Adams Oshiomhole.
However, Kyari insists he has nothing to hide and remains committed to assisting the investigation, raising a critical question: why issue an arrest warrant against a former public official who had formally notified the committee of his medical absence and pledged to appear upon his return?
The controversy is likely to intensify scrutiny of the Senate committee’s handling of the high-profile probe in the coming days.
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