The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has recovered more than N38.66 billion in cash and assets in an ongoing investigation into the alleged diversion of funds allocated for the rehabilitation of Nigeria’s state-owned refineries.

The anti-graft agency is also preparing possible criminal charges against several former and serving officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), as well as contractors linked to the refinery rehabilitation projects.

Findings by investigators indicate that the EFCC has so far recovered N9.4 billion, $21.2 million and several landed properties allegedly traced to individuals under investigation. The recovered dollar component is valued at about N29.26 billion using the Central Bank of Nigeria’s official exchange rate.

The probe, described by investigators as one of the largest corruption investigations in Nigeria’s oil sector, centres on the management of approximately $2.79 billion released between 2021 and 2023 for the rehabilitation and turnaround maintenance of the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries.

According to the EFCC, the investigation involves allegations of criminal conspiracy, diversion of public funds, abuse of office, money laundering, procurement fraud and economic sabotage. Those under scrutiny include officials of the NNPCL, its subsidiary, the NNPC Engineering and Technical Company Limited (NETCO), former and serving managing directors of the refineries, and major contractors involved in the projects.

Records show that the Federal Government approved about $1.56 billion for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refining Company, $740.7 million for the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company, and $492.3 million for the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company.

Despite the huge financial outlay, investigators reportedly found little evidence of corresponding improvements in refinery operations, raising concerns that substantial portions of the funds may have been diverted or improperly disbursed.

The EFCC had earlier arrested several senior NNPCL officials in connection with the investigation, including former Chief Financial Officer Umar Isa, Warri Refinery Managing Director Tunde Bakare, and former Port Harcourt Refinery Managing Directors Ahmed Dikko and Ibrahim Onoja.

Investigators have also interrogated more than 30 senior NNPCL officials and over 50 representatives of contracting firms and subcontractors involved in the refinery rehabilitation programme.

As part of the investigation, the commission reviewed procurement records, payment approvals, project execution reports and banking transactions, while also obtaining information from the Corporate Affairs Commission, the Central Bank of Nigeria and commercial banks.

Sources familiar with the probe disclosed that investigators uncovered widespread violations of procurement procedures and questionable payment approvals allegedly facilitated by officials at different levels of management.

One of the officials under investigation, former Port Harcourt Refinery Managing Director Ahmed Dikko, is accused of authorising direct payments to contractors from provisional sum funds contrary to contractual provisions. Investigators said assets valued at N983.9 million, $227,030 and three landed properties were traced to him, with an interim forfeiture order already secured.

Similarly, a senior official linked to the Warri Refinery rehabilitation project, Jimoh Yisawu, is alleged to have approved payments to unqualified contractors and authorised inflated invoices and contract mark-ups exceeding $10 million and nearly N8 billion.

The EFCC said it traced more than N1.4 billion and four landed properties to Yisawu, assets investigators claim he could not satisfactorily explain. The properties have also been placed under interim forfeiture pending prosecution.

Sources disclosed that the recovered N9.4 billion and $21.2 million have been lodged in the EFCC’s recovery accounts, while an additional $2.32 million was recovered through the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

Investigators also revealed a separate alleged revenue fraud case involving $28.39 million and N665 million linked to the management of the Port Harcourt Refining Company, with efforts ongoing to recover the funds.

The investigation remains ongoing, with the EFCC indicating that additional recoveries, arrests and prosecutions are expected as more evidence emerges.

The latest revelations have renewed concerns over the effectiveness of Nigeria’s refinery rehabilitation programme despite the expenditure of billions of dollars over the years.

Nigeria’s four state-owned refineries, with a combined installed capacity of 445,000 barrels per day, have remained largely underperforming for decades despite repeated turnaround maintenance and rehabilitation efforts.

While the Warri Refinery briefly resumed operations in December 2024 before shutting down a month later over safety concerns, the Port Harcourt Refinery was taken offline in May 2025 for scheduled maintenance.

In October 2025, the NNPCL announced a technical and commercial review of the refineries aimed at improving operational efficiency and profitability. The company also recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with two Chinese firms to support the completion, operation and possible expansion of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.

Efforts to obtain reactions from the NNPCL and officials named in the investigation were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.

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Justice of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, has issued a final directive to the (EFCC) to produce its witness against former Central Bank governor by the next adjourned date or face closure of the case.

The court imposed a fine of N500,000 on EFCC for failing to produce Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP Elohor Edwin Okpoziakeo, a key investigator in the alleged procurement fraud case, citing repeated delays despite an accelerated trial order.

Case details and charges

Emefiele is facing a 20-count charge brought by EFCC on behalf of the Federal Government, including allegations of criminal breach of trust, forgery, abuse of office, and obtaining money by false pretence. He allegedly secured $6.23 million intended for international election observers during the 2023 general election and conferred corrupt advantages on two companies—April 1616 Nigeria Ltd and Architekon Nigeria Ltd.

Court stance on adjournments

EFCC had sought another adjournment, citing administrative procedures preventing the witness from attending. The defence counsel, Matthew Burkaa, SAN, opposed this, stating that the agency had already been granted eight adjournments—three more than the maximum allowed under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.

Justice Muazu acknowledged the discretion courts have to grant adjournments in the interest of justice but emphasized the need for accountability and penalized EFCC for unnecessary delays.

Next steps

The court adjourned the trial to April 27 and 28 for continuation, emphasizing that the witness must be present, failing which the court may take further action in line with the law.

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When Nigeria inherited its civil service from the British, it was designed as the backbone of governance efficient, accountable, and stable enough to guarantee smooth administration regardless of political change. Decades later, that noble vision has been consumed by a culture of graft so entrenched that the very institution meant to protect the state has instead become one of its biggest liabilities.

The chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, recently drew attention to a sobering reality: the depth of corruption in Nigeria’s public life cannot be understood without looking at the civil service. According to him, career civil servants, not just politicians, are responsible for the largest volume of stolen funds.

“Political appointees come and go,” he remarked, “but these civil servants remain embedded, powerful, and indispensable to almost every corrupt deal.” In effect, the system’s continuity has become a weapon used to shield theft, frustrate reforms, and outlast political administrations.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has, over the years, uncovered procurement frauds, frozen suspicious bank accounts, and secured convictions against officials who manipulated contracts for personal enrichment. In Abuja, entire neighborhoods testify to this rot: mansions and estates quietly owned by directors, permanent secretaries, and procurement officers whose official salaries could never fund such wealth.

The schemes are depressingly familiar contract inflation, forged procurement papers, bribery demands for basic services, ghost workers, and pensions siphoned off through fictitious names. Each tactic bleeds public resources meant for hospitals, schools, and infrastructure, leaving ordinary citizens trapped in underdevelopment.

Nigeria has not ignored the crisis. From President Obasanjo’s reform drive in the early 2000s introducing downsizing, monetisation of benefits, and creating agencies like the ICPC and EFCC to the passage of the Public Procurement Act in 2007, governments have repeatedly tried to clean the system. Yet, the results remain cosmetic.

The problem is not merely the law but the will to enforce it. Politicians often rely on the same bureaucrats to execute shady deals, and so genuine reform threatens entrenched interests on both sides. The result is paralysis where corruption is acknowledged but rarely punished with finality.

The consequences extend far beyond missing billions. When salaries are stolen, hospitals collapse; when pensions vanish, old age becomes a nightmare; when school projects are inflated, classrooms never appear. Corruption in the civil service is not an abstract crime it is the silent destruction of the Nigerian state’s capacity to serve its people.

While some argue that poor pay and inadequate pensions encourage corruption, such excuses collapse under scrutiny. No remuneration can justify the scale of theft that cripples an entire nation’s development.

The reality is stark: anti-corruption agencies are overwhelmed, often facing defendants who use their influence to hire the best lawyers, intimidate witnesses, or delay trials endlessly. Without political courage and collective public pressure, corruption within the civil service will remain the elephant in the room untouched and untouchable.

What Nigeria requires is an emergency national campaign one that goes beyond surface reforms and builds an unyielding culture of accountability. Civil servants must be reminded that their calling is service, not self-enrichment. Until that happens, the dream of national progress will remain hostage to a bureaucracy designed to serve itself first.

Source: DailyTrust

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