Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has detained Umar Isa, a former Chief Financial Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), in relation to a massive $7.2 billion fraud case tied to failed refinery rehabilitation projects.
Isa, who was responsible for the financial management of the Kaduna, Warri, and Port Harcourt refineries during his tenure, is under investigation for allegedly approving funds for maintenance works that yielded few tangible outcomes.
The EFCC is also probing other former and current officials allegedly linked to mismanagement and corruption surrounding the NNPCL’s refinery overhaul projects. This includes Tunde Bakare, Managing Director of Warri Refinery; Ahmed Dikko and Ibrahim Onoja, both ex-MDs of Port Harcourt Refinery; and Jimoh Olasunkanmi, a former head of Warri Refinery, who is reportedly also in custody.
All individuals are facing allegations of misconduct, including financial diversion, corruption, and receiving illegal payments from contractors tasked with refinery upgrades.
The EFCC has not issued a formal comment, and its spokesman, Dele Oyewale, was not immediately available for response.
Nigeria has come under increasing criticism over the condition of its state-owned refineries, which have remained largely non-operational despite years of maintenance contracts and substantial funding. The country, Africa’s largest oil producer, continues to depend heavily on fuel imports to meet domestic demand.
