Nigeria’s anti-graft agency arrested the former chief financial officer (CFO) of the state oil company NNPCL and a former head of a refinery in connection with an alleged misappropriation of funds.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said it had detained ex-CFO Umar Ajiya Isa and Jimoh Olasunkanmi, the former managing director of Nigeria’s Warri refinery.
The commission is probing an alleged $7.2 billion diversion of funds meant for the maintenance of three refineries in Warri, Kaduna and Port Harcourt.
Those arrested are being investigated for alleged abuse of office, corruption, diversion of funds and kickbacks from contractors, it said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that three other officials are being investigated.
The arrests highlight the action taken by President Bola Tinubu’s administration to combat corruption in one of Africa’s biggest economies. Since coming to power in May 2023, he’s replaced the head of the EFCC and arrested the former governor of the Nigerian central bank on fraud charges.
