Senate Threatens Arrest Of CBN Governor, NNPCL Boss, IGP Over Audit Queries

The Senate Public Accounts Committee (SPAC) has threatened to issue warrants of arrest against several top government officials, including Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, Central Bank Governor, Yemi Cardoso, and Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, for repeatedly failing to appear before the committee to respond to audit queries.

Others facing possible arrest include Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Chairman Zacch Adedeji and Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Comptroller-General Adewale Adeniyi, among other chief executives.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, SPAC Chairman, Ahmed Aliyu Wadada, condemned the refusal of the officials to honour multiple invitations, describing their actions as disrespectful to the National Assembly and an insult to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“Nobody in Nigeria is above the law. If the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, can set aside his enormous commitments to appear before the National Assembly to present the budget, I wonder why any appointee would think they are too important to appear before the people’s parliament,” Wadada said.

Naija News reports that he warned that any further disregard of Senate invitations would result in arrest warrants and a recommendation for their dismissal by President Tinubu.

The committee chairman specifically criticized FIRS Chairman, Zacch Adedeji, revealing that he had ignored more than eight invitations.

“If he truly shares the dream of the Renewed Hope Agenda (RHA), why won’t he appear before this committee to discuss important issues? We, the members of this committee, were elected by Nigerians, not appointed. If he doesn’t respect our mandate, he should at least respect that of the President who appointed him

“The next time FIRS ignores our summons, we will issue a warrant for his arrest and call on the President to replace him,” Wadada stated.

Wadada also lashed out at NNPCL and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), accusing them of failing to account for billions of naira in public funds.

“NNPCL has never appeared before this committee despite multiple invitations. The few times they responded in writing, the information provided was incomplete. The next time they fail to show up, a warrant of arrest will be issued,” he warned.

He further alleged that the Customs Service had significant financial irregularities uncovered by the Auditor-General’s report but had refused to engage with the committee to explain the discrepancies.

Additionally, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has reportedly been avoiding Senate invitations concerning ‘Ways and Means’ expenditures, raising suspicions about the apex bank’s financial activities.

Emphasizing the gravity of the situation, Wadada declared that the Senate would no longer tolerate non-compliance from any government agency.

“The line is drawn. Any official who refuses to honour our next invitation will face an arrest warrant. We will also inform President Tinubu that such individuals do not share his vision and should be removed from office,” he concluded.