No fewer than 500 lawyers, professionals, and civil rights activists on Wednesday, September 17, marched to the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abuja, demanding the prosecution of former Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) boss, Mele Kyari, over an alleged $4 billion refinery scandal.
The protesters, operating under the aegis of the Concerned Lawyers and Citizens Network (CLCN), described the failed refinery rehabilitation projects as “economic treason.”
They accused Kyari of squandering funds meant to revive Nigeria’s refineries and betraying the nation’s economic future.
“This is not merely a financial crime; it is an assault on human dignity and a subversion of national development,” said Barrister Theophilus Ojonugwa, spokesperson of the group.
He linked the missing billions to “unbuilt schools, unequipped hospitals and lost jobs,” warning that Kyari’s alleged actions had worsened fuel scarcity and prolonged Nigeria’s reliance on costly petroleum imports.
The group also raised concerns about MSM Oil & Gas Nigeria Limited, a company allegedly owned by Kyari’s in-law, which they claimed was used to launder proceeds from the scandal.
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They accused the EFCC of a “romance with corruption” and selective prosecution, stressing that “justice must be blind and uncompromising.”
The Network called for Kyari’s immediate arrest, prosecution of accomplices, and the seizure of all assets tied to the alleged fraud.
They also urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to order an independent forensic audit, describing the case as a potential “watershed moment” in Nigeria’s anti-corruption fight.
“If $4 billion had been properly invested, Nigeria would be self-sufficient in refining today,” Ojonugwa lamented, urging citizens to resist complicity and continue demanding justice.
