Hundreds of Nigerians living in the UK took to the streets of London on Monday, calling for the deportation of former Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) boss, Mele Kyari, so he can face corruption investigations back home.
The protest, led by a civic coalition called Rescue Nigeria Now, saw demonstrators mass outside both the Nigerian High Commission and the UK Home Office, where they submitted formal petitions demanding Kyari’s immediate return to Nigeria. Placards carried bold messages: “Withdraw Mele Kyari’s residency now!”, “Mele Kyari go home and face EFCC now!”, and “London is not for public officials who abused public trust.”
Kyari, who headed NNPCL between 2019 and 2025, is accused of fleeing Nigeria to avoid answering for extensive allegations of corruption during his tenure. The group’s letter to the Nigerian High Commissioner reads: “We are profoundly disillusioned and appalled by the effrontery with which Mr. Kyari has been walking in the street of London with impunity, while the tables of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria are flooded with so much petitions, audit queries, and evidences on the many alleged corrupt financial dealings and infraction that have been attached to his tenure which spanned from 2019 to 2025.”
They condemned what they described as impunity, saying Kyari’s stay in the UK was an insult to Nigerians and to anti-corruption efforts. “Your Excellency, this letter is not merely a petition, it is a demand, A moral, civic, and nationalistic demand. We, therefore, demand in the strongest terms that the Nigerian High Commission in the United Kingdom refrains from according him any form of official reception, recognition, or diplomatic courtesy until he returns to Nigeria to submit himself to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other relevant investigative bodies for the myriad allegations that trail his tenure.”
The petition highlighted several major accusations, including the disappearance of billions of dollars meant for rehabilitating Nigeria’s refineries in Warri, Kaduna, and Port Harcourt. Despite huge spending under Kyari, the refineries remained dormant, forcing Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, to keep importing fuel. “It is on record till date that billions of dollars that were ostensibly budgeted for the rehabilitation of Nigeria’s decrepit refineries in Warri, Kaduna and Port Harcourt just unaccountably vanished into a bureaucratic abyss under the leadership of Mr. Kyari.”
Kyari was also accused of running a cartel that profited off fuel imports and manipulating the controversial subsidy regime, a programme that, under his leadership, became synonymous with “confusion, crony capitalism, and unexplainable contradictions.” “Subsidy removal, though a visionary idea by Tinubu, however became an ideological tool of deceit, not policy relief under Kyari’s watch. The EFCC has reportedly received whistleblower testimonies and documents alleging fraudulent invoicing, overblown subsidy claims, and clandestine offshore payments.”
The coalition urged the UK Home Office to revoke Kyari’s stay, alleging he had moved looted funds into British bank accounts. “We have cause to believe that for Mr. Kyari to have fled to the United Kingdom, he has transferred parts of the proceeds of his crimes to bank accounts in London, which would be a violation of anti-money laundering legislation in your country.” They called on British authorities to act in line with anti-corruption treaties between the UK and Nigeria. “Considering the extensive evidence of corruption and the severe impact on Nigeria, we hereby request that the Home Office expel Mr. Mele Kyari so that he can return to Nigeria. It is imperative that he faces justice for his actions and that the stolen funds are recovered to aid in the nation’s recovery and development.”
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