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….Submit Petitions to UK Home Office and Nigerian High Commission
A wave of protest swept through London on Monday as hundreds of Nigerians gathered outside the Nigerian High Commission and the UK Home Office, demanding the deportation of former Group CEO of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari. The demonstrators, under the aegis of Rescue Nigeria Now, submitted formal petitions calling for Kyari to return to Nigeria to face ongoing corruption investigations.
Chanting slogans and wielding placards with inscriptions such as “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,” the protesters accused Kyari of fleeing Nigeria to evade justice for a slew of financial misconduct allegations during his tenure from 2019 to 2025.
In a strongly-worded letter addressed to the Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, the group expressed outrage over Kyari’s continued presence in the UK.
“We are profoundly disillusioned and appalled by the effrontery with which Mr. Kyari walks the streets of London with impunity, while Nigeria’s anti-graft agencies are inundated with petitions, audit queries, and credible evidence of corrupt practices linked to his tenure,” the letter stated.
Describing Kyari’s alleged actions as a betrayal of public trust and an insult to Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts, the group demanded that the High Commission deny him all diplomatic courtesies.
“This is not just a petition—it is a moral, civic, and nationalistic demand. Until Mr. Kyari returns to Nigeria and submits himself to the EFCC and other investigative bodies, he must not be accorded any form of recognition or reception.”
The petition laid out multiple allegations, chief among them the disappearance of billions of dollars budgeted for refinery rehabilitation projects in Warri, Kaduna, and Port Harcourt.
“Despite massive allocations, no meaningful improvements were seen, and Nigeria—Africa’s largest oil producer—remained reliant on imported fuel while its refineries lay dormant. This mismanagement not only deepened economic woes but further devalued the naira,” the letter noted.
It also claimed that under Kyari’s leadership, NNPCL became an “impenetrable black box,” mired in opaque fuel subsidy payments and a network of racketeering.
“Trillions of naira were disbursed under a shadowy subsidy regime that lacked transparency, audits were ignored, and ordinary Nigerians bore the brunt of artificial scarcity and endless fuel queues. Subsidy removal, though visionary in intent, was turned into a tool of deception under Kyari’s watch,” the letter read.
The coalition further alleged that Kyari had transferred illicit funds to UK bank accounts to avoid prosecution.
“Mr. Kyari’s calculated relocation to the United Kingdom and the transfer of corruption proceeds to London-based accounts may constitute violations of UK anti-money laundering laws,” the group warned.
In its petition to the UK Home Office, Rescue Nigeria Now called for the immediate expulsion of Kyari under international anti-corruption agreements.
“The UK and Nigeria have signed treaties to prevent their territories from being used as safe havens for criminal elements. With the weight of evidence against Mr. Kyari and the damage inflicted on the Nigerian economy, we urge the Home Office to act swiftly and decisively.”
As the EFCC deepens its investigation into Kyari’s tenure, all eyes now turn to the UK’s response and its commitment to global anti-corruption principles.
