NNPCL EX-CFO UMAR AJIYA ISA DENIES EFCC ARREST OVER $7.2 BILLION FRAUD CLAIMS

Amid mounting public speculation, former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Umar Ajiya Isa, has refuted claims that he was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged involvement in a $7.2 billion fraud tied to Nigeria’s refinery operations.
In a statement issued on Wednesday,June 25th Isa clarified that he voluntarily visited the EFCC for discussions and was not detained. “These arrest stories are false and meant to damage my reputation,” he declared. Isa also emphasized that he was never accused of any fraud during his time in office and remains open to any future queries from anti-graft agencies.
This comes amid a broader investigation into NNPCL’s financial discrepancies. The Senate Committee on Public Accounts, chaired by Senator Aliyu Wadada, recently flagged trillions of naira in unexplained discrepancies from 2017 to 2023 and issued 11 critical queries to NNPCL’s finance department.
As attention intensifies on Nigeria’s petroleum industry, Isa’s denial further underscores the high-stakes drama surrounding accountability and transparency in one of the country’s most vital sectors.