Crime & Court
EFCC Arrests Sacked Refinery Chiefs Over $2.9bn Scandal
Published
12 months agoon
By
Mega Icon
. N80bn found in ex-MD’s account • Kyari, 13 others under probe • Refineries remain largely dormant despite huge spend
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested the recently sacked Managing Directors and top executives of Nigeria’s three major refineries—the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC), Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC), and Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC)—over the alleged mismanagement of nearly $3 billion allocated for the rehabilitation of the long-dormant facilities.
According to the information scooped from the PUNCH Newspaper, the anti-graft agency is probing the disbursement of a total of $2,956,872,622.36, broken down as $1,559,239,084.36 for the Port Harcourt refinery, $740,669,600 for the Kaduna refinery, and $656,963,938 for the Warri refinery.
The former Managing Director of the Port Harcourt Refinery, Mr Ibrahim Onoja, and the former Managing Director of the Warri Refinery, Efifia Chu, are among those taken into EFCC custody. According to sources at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), about N80 billion was discovered in the bank accounts of one of the sacked refinery heads.
This wave of arrests comes amid mounting national frustration over the failure of the state-run refineries to deliver results, despite repeated government assurances. In late 2024, both the Port Harcourt and Warri plants were declared operational following high-profile ceremonies. However, it has now emerged that operations at both facilities remain far below expectations.
Speaking anonymously to Saturday PUNCH, a senior EFCC official confirmed that the investigation is part of a broader probe into the management of funds earmarked for the urgent repair of the refineries. “We are looking into all the funds released for the rehabilitation of the three refineries. Principal officers from that period are being questioned. Some have been arrested, while others are still under surveillance,” the official disclosed.
He added: “Nigerians are eager to see these refineries work. We are asking critical questions: where is the money, and what actually happened to the refineries?”
The Port Harcourt refinery, which reportedly resumed production in November 2024, has been functioning at below 40 percent capacity, despite a $1.5 billion rehabilitation. The Warri refinery, re-commissioned in December, was abruptly shut down in January 2025 due to safety concerns within its Crude Distillation Unit’s main heater.
Despite persistent assurances from the NNPCL, internal reports and independent investigations have consistently contradicted claims of full operations. On 5 January 2025, a Saturday PUNCH investigation observed only skeletal activities at the Warri Refinery, despite the company’s public insistence that production was in full swing.
Further deepening the scandal, a document obtained from the NNPCL and dated 28 April 2025 confirmed that the EFCC has widened its probe to include the former Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari. The EFCC’s letter, titled “Investigation Activities: Request for Information”, listed 13 other former senior executives under investigation for alleged abuse of office and misappropriation of public funds.
The officials include Abubakar Yar’Adua, Isiaka Abdulrazak, Umar Ajiya, Dikko Ahmed, Ademoye Jelili, Mustapha Sugungun, Kayode Adetokunbo, Efiok Akpan, Babatunde Bakare, Jimoh Olasunkanmi, Bello Kankaya, and Desmond Inyama, alongside Kyari and Onoja.
The anti-graft agency has requested certified true copies of the emoluments and allowances of all individuals named, including those already retired.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the NNPCL, Mr. Olufemi Soneye, has declined to comment, ignoring multiple enquiries regarding the arrests and the broader scandal engulfing the company.
Analysts and sector stakeholders have slammed the NNPCL for misleading the public about the state of the refineries. A recent report indicated that the $897 million Warri Refinery project had failed and that the Port Harcourt facility was operating at a meagre 37.87 percent of capacity, months after its grand relaunch.
Documents from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority revealed that the Warri plant had not produced a single litre of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) since its relaunch and was shut down a month after the official flag-off.
Commissioned in 1978, the Warri Refinery was designed to serve southern and southwestern Nigeria, with a capacity of 125,000 barrels per day and annual outputs of 13,000 metric tonnes of polypropylene and 18,000 metric tonnes of carbon black. Its latest $897.6 million upgrade, announced in December 2024, was expected to restore significant production capacity.
Similarly, the much-celebrated Port Harcourt refinery, with a 60,000 barrels per day old plant, was refurbished under a $1.5 billion facility financed by international lenders. That project had already suffered seven delays, with its most recent missed deadline in September 2024.
Despite President Bola Tinubu’s public commendation of the refinery revamps, emerging facts suggest that these facilities remain largely non-functional, as Nigerians continue to grapple with fuel shortages and import dependency.
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Crime & Court
Joshua crash: Driver faces fresh charges as court adjourns trial
Published
6 days agoon
April 16, 2026By
Mega IconThe Ogun State Magistrate’s Court sitting in Sagamu has adjourned the trial of the driver involved in the road crash that affected former heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, to June 2, 2026.
The court, presided over by Magistrate Olufunilayo Somefun, fixed the new date to allow the prosecution to file fresh charges in the case.
The defendant, Adeniyi Mobolaji, is facing a four-count charge bordering on dangerous and negligent driving resulting in death.
It was gathered that the matter had been adjourned about four times to enable the prosecuting counsel, G. O. Ogunyomi, amend the charges before the court.
Mobolaji was accused of reckless and negligent driving, contrary to Section 6(1) of the relevant law, as well as driving without due care and attention, causing bodily harm, and damage to property under Section 7(1).
He was also alleged to have driven without a valid national driver’s licence, contrary to Section 10(1) of the Federal Highway Act.
Ruling on the prosecution’s application for adjournment, the magistrate granted the request and fixed June 2 for proper hearing. The defence counsel did not oppose the application.
Speaking after the proceedings, counsel to the defendant, Abiodun Olalekan, said the adjournment was necessary to ensure justice for all parties involved.
The 46-year-old defendant was involved in the fatal crash that claimed the lives of Joshua’s personal trainer, Latif Ayodele, and strength and conditioning coach, Sina Ghami, along the Lagos-Ibadan
Expressway on December 29, 2025.
The Lexus SUV conveying the boxer collided with a stationary truck, leaving Joshua and the driver with minor injuries.
Joshua was later discharged from the hospital after being certified clinically stable.
The deaths of Ayodele and Ghami drew widespread reactions within the international boxing community, where both men were regarded as key figures in Joshua’s camp.
Their remains were subsequently repatriated to the United Kingdom, where a funeral prayer was held on January 4, 2026, at the London Central Mosque.
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Crime & Court
NDLEA Ends 15-Year Hunt for Alleged Drug Lord in Lagos
Published
2 months agoon
March 5, 2026By
Mega IconThe National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 58-year-old alleged drug lord, Uzoma Valentine Ilomuanya, who had reportedly been on the agency’s wanted list and that of British authorities for over 15 years.
Ilomuanya was apprehended in Lagos on Monday, February 23, 2026, following what the agency described as a high-level, coordinated operation by officers of its Special Operations Unit.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Director of Media and Advocacy of the agency, Femi Babafemi.
Babafemi said the suspect’s arrest ended a prolonged manhunt linked to his alleged involvement in drug trafficking activities across Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
According to the statement, Ilomuanya was first arrested in February 2003 in the United Kingdom and convicted for drug trafficking.
He was sentenced to nine years imprisonment but was released after serving two years following a successful appeal.
Babafemi added that the suspect was again arrested in the UK in July 2011 over drug-related offences.
He said, “He was granted administrative bail but jumped jurisdiction and fled to Nigeria.
“Typical of a recidivist, Ilomuanya was in November 2018 arrested in Nigeria by NDLEA operatives following the discovery of two clandestine methamphetamine laboratories in his Obinugwu, Orlu Local Government Area country home in Imo State and at his No. 3 Barrister Declan Uzoma Close, Lagos residence where officers recovered 77.960 kilograms of methamphetamine and extensive production equipment.
“He was subsequently charged before a Federal High Court in Lagos, after which he jumped court bail and has been on the run since then.”
Reacting to the development, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the arrest as a major breakthrough in the agency’s ongoing war against drug trafficking networks.
Marwa said the operation demonstrated the agency’s resolve to track down criminal elements regardless of how long they evade the law.
He said, “This arrest serves as a stern warning to those who think they can hide behind borders to escape justice.
“Whether you jump bail in London or set up clandestine labs in your village, the long arm of the NDLEA will eventually catch up with those who choose to undermine the health, security, and future of our nation.
“We remain committed to our international collaborations to ensure that Nigeria is not used as a sanctuary for global drug lords.”
Marwa also commended officers of the Special Operations Unit for their professionalism and persistence in tracking down the suspect.
He added that the agency would continue to strengthen intelligence-driven operations and international cooperation to dismantle drug trafficking networks operating within and beyond Nigeria.
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Crime & Court
Court Acquits Suspended DCP Kyari, Faults NDLEA Over Weak Evidence
Published
2 months agoon
March 5, 2026By
Mega IconThe Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday discharged and acquitted a suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, of a 23-count charge bordering on alleged non-declaration of assets filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
Delivering judgment, Justice James Omotosho held that the prosecution failed to present sufficient evidence to substantiate the allegations against the defendants.
Kyari was arraigned alongside his two brothers, who were accused of swearing to false affidavits in an alleged attempt to conceal the origin of certain properties.
However, the court ruled that the anti-drug agency failed to establish that the properties allegedly not declared by Kyari were actually owned by him.
Justice Omotosho explained that ownership of landed property could be established through traditional history, title documents, acts of possession, or possession by connection.
According to the judge, the prosecution did not present any of these forms of evidence to prove that the properties located at Fountain Estate in Karsana, said to belong to Ramatu Kyari, were owned by the suspended police officer.
The court also held that the prosecution failed to produce material evidence linking Kyari to properties located on Linda Choko Road in Asokoro, Abuja, as well as properties in Maiduguri, Borno State.
In his defence, Kyari maintained that the properties in Borno State belonged to his late father, who bequeathed them to him and his siblings.
The judge held that the prosecution failed to prove otherwise.
Justice Omotosho also faulted the prosecution for charging Kyari’s brothers with conspiracy, describing the allegation as unsubstantiated.
He described the NDLEA’s case as weak and lacking credible evidence, adding that the defendant had served the country well and should not be subjected to persecution.
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