A former Chief Finance Officer (CFO) of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Umar Ajiyia Isa, has described as false claims that he was arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday over fraud.
In a statement on Wednesday, the former NNPCL CFO clarified that, contrary to reports, he voluntarily submitted himself to the Commission and was never arrested over the alleged $7.2 billion linked to transactions at the Warri and Port Harcourt refineries.
“Nobody arrested me for any $7.2 billion in relation to any refinery fraud. I voluntarily submitted myself to questioning by the EFCC and then went home. To see in the media stories of my arrest over fraud is unfortunate,” he stated.
“I served at NNPC Limited, and I left with my integrity intact. No one has accused me of any fraud during my tenure at the company. People who are pushing this false narrative of arrest and detention just want to tarnish my reputation.”
Isa said he was ready at any time to defend his reputation and years of service at the NNPCL.
“I am in this country and any day and any time the EFCC requests me to appear before them, I will be present,” he added.
Last week, the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, chaired by Aliyu Wadada, raised the alarm over discrepancies involving trillions of naira in the audited financial statements of the NNPCL, describing the revelations as mind-boggling and worrisome.
The committee underscored that the concerns stem directly from the analysis of NNPCL’s audited financial statements from 2017 to 2023.
The committee immediately handed over a list of 11 queries to the NNPCL finance team and gave them one week to return with answers.