The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Department of State Services (DSS) have both denied reports that they abducted or forced the group chief executive officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari, to resign. While dismissing the abduction claims as “fake news,” an EFCC source confirmed that a petition has been submitted against the NNPCL boss.
A top EFCC official, speaking to a news outlet on condition of anonymity, adamantly dismissed the viral reports. The official clarified that the anti-graft agency had, on Thursday, received a petition against Ojulari from a group of protesters, stating that it is their right to submit such documents. The official pointed out that a petition does not equate to an abduction, urging the public to be cautious about spreading unsubstantiated rumors. The DSS also issued a separate denial, rejecting claims that its Director-General was involved in a plot to unlawfully remove Ojulari from office.
The reports of abduction and forced resignation were first circulated by an online newspaper, which alleged that Ojulari was detained and coerced by the heads of both the EFCC and the DSS. The report claimed the pressure came after a directive from a businesswoman with close ties to the presidency, suggesting the operation was not sanctioned by the President himself. The official denials from the security agencies directly challenge this narrative, reframing the incident as a matter of a routine petition rather than a high-stakes abduction.
The allegations surface at a time when Ojulari’s leadership has been under intense scrutiny. He is currently facing a summons from the Senate Public Accounts Committee to address audit queries concerning an unaccounted sum of over N210 trillion. His failure to appear before the committee has led to threats of a warrant for his arrest, highlighting a complex backdrop of political and legal pressure on the NNPCL leadership, which a recent report suggests is also facing a “sabotage campaign.”
With the Presidency and key security agencies having officially denied the abduction claims, the focus shifts to the petition filed against Ojulari. The denials aim to restore calm and stability to the national oil company’s leadership, but the lack of public statements from Ojulari himself or the protesters who submitted the petition leaves many questions unanswered about the full scope of the controversy.
