EFCC Arrests Sacked Refinery Chiefs Over $2.9bn Scandal

. 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.