Big TROUBLE For IGP Egbetokun & Others As Senate Issues Threats To Arrest Them; SEE Why
The Nigerian Senate has issued a stern warning to several high- ranking government officials, cautioning them that failure to honor legislative invitations could lead to the issuance of arrest warrants. Those at risk include Inspector- General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Yemi Cardoso, and Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) Mele Kyari. The Senate’ s Public Accounts Committee (SPAC) made this declaration on Tuesday, expressing frustration over the continued absence of these officials in response to audit- related inquiries.
The Office of the Auditor General of the Federation (AuGF) has raised concerns about financial irregularities, prompting SPAC to summon these officials. However, their repeated failure to appear before the committee has led to increased tensions between the legislative and executive branches. In addition to the aforementioned officials, others facing potential legal repercussions include Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Chairman Zacch Adedeji and Comptroller- General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Adewale Adeniyi.
SPAC Chairman Ahmed Aliyu Wadada criticized these officials for disregarding multiple invitations, highlighting that the FIRS chairman alone had ignored at least eight summonses. Furthermore, he noted that the NNPCL had never appeared before the committee to address critical financial concerns. Wadada emphasized that the CBN had also failed to respond adequately to inquiries regarding the controversial Ways and Means transactions.
Describing their absence as both disrespectful to the National Assembly and an affront to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Wadada insisted that no public official is above the law. He argued that if the President himself could take time from his demanding schedule to present the national budget to the legislature, it was unacceptable for appointed officials to ignore parliamentary invitations.
Wadada stated: ” No individual in Nigeria is exempt from legal accountability. Every citizen, regardless of their position, is expected to function within the framework of the law. If President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with all his responsibilities, can personally appear before the National Assembly to present the budget as a sign of respect, then no appointed official has the right to consider themselves above legislative scrutiny. ”
He further warned that moving forward, any official who failed to respond to Senate invitations would face serious consequences. These include the issuance of an arrest warrant and a formal appeal to the President to remove the non- compliant individual from office.
Wadada specifically condemned the FIRS chairman’ s disregard for the committee, questioning his commitment to the administration’ s Renewed Hope Agenda. He asserted that while senators are elected representatives of the people, appointees like Adedeji must recognize and respect both the legislature and the President’ s authority.
” This committee has sent over eight invitations to the chairman of the FIRS, all of which have been deliberately ignored. Furthermore, he has failed to acknowledge or respond to official correspondence. If he truly aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda, why is he avoiding legislative engagement? We are elected representatives of the people, not appointees. If he does not respect the mandate given to us by the Nigerian people, he should at least respect the authority of the President who appointed him. ”
The Senate committee drew a firm line in its dealings with both the FIRS and NNPCL, declaring that future noncompliance would result in immediate legal action. Wadada stressed that should Adedeji fail to respond to the next invitation, the Senate would push for his arrest and call on President Tinubu to replace him, arguing that such conduct undermines the administration’ s governance objectives.
Addressing the case of NNPCL and NCS, Wadada revealed that the petroleum corporation had failed to engage with the committee meaningfully, despite receiving prior communications. He accused NNPCL of providing vague and insufficient responses when it did acknowledge the committee’ s inquiries.
” NNPCL has yet to honor our invitations. While they have responded to some communications, the information provided is inadequate and lacks clarity. We will not continue to tolerate this disregard for accountability. If NNPCL fails to appear after the next summons, we will issue an arrest warrant and formally request that the President take decisive action. ”
Regarding the Nigeria Customs Service, Wadada expressed concerns about billions of naira in unaccounted funds, as flagged by the Auditor- General’ s report. He stated that despite repeated attempts to engage with the NCS leadership to clarify financial discrepancies and propose corrective measures, there had been no progress.
” The NCS must account for significant financial irregularities outlined in the Auditor- General’ s report. However, despite continuous efforts to bring them to the discussion table, nothing has changed. We remain where we were days ago, with no new developments. ”
The Senate’ s warning signals a growing intolerance for executive defiance of legislative oversight. By threatening arrests and dismissals, lawmakers are asserting their authority in ensuring financial accountability and transparency in government operations. The coming weeks will determine whether the officials in question choose to comply with the Senate’ s directives or risk facing the legal consequences of continued noncompliance.