Former Chief Finance Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Umar Ajiyia Isa, has dismissed as false the claims that operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested him on Monday over alleged fraud.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Isa clarified that he voluntarily appeared before the EFCC and was never arrested in connection with the purported $7.2 billion linked to transactions at the Warri and Port Harcourt refineries.
“No one arrested me over any $7.2 billion refinery fraud. I presented myself to the EFCC for questioning and afterwards returned home. It is regrettable that the media is circulating false stories about my arrest,” he stated.
Isa maintained that he left NNPCL with his integrity intact and had never been accused of fraud throughout his tenure at the company.
“Those spreading these falsehoods about arrest and detention simply aim to damage my reputation,” he added.
Isa affirmed his willingness to cooperate with the EFCC whenever required.
“I am in this country and, at any time the EFCC invites me, I will be present,” he said.
This development follows revelations by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, chaired by Senator Aliyu Wadada, which recently raised concerns over discrepancies involving trillions of naira in NNPCL’s audited accounts from 2017 to 2023.
The committee described the findings as deeply troubling and handed 11 audit queries to the NNPCL finance team, requesting responses within one week.