The Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the temporary freezing of four Jaiz Bank accounts linked to the immediate past Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr. Mele Kyari, over allegations of financial misconduct.
The order was issued on Tuesday by Justice Emeka Nwite following a motion moved ex parte by Ogechi Ujam, counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The Commission requested the court to freeze the accounts pending the conclusion of ongoing investigations.
In his ruling, Justice Nwite held that the request was supported by sufficient grounds. “I have listened to the counsel for the applicant and gone through the affidavit evidence with the exhibits and written address attached. I found that this application is meritorious and it is hereby granted as prayed,” the judge stated. The matter was adjourned until September 23 for further reports.
The EFCC had on August 11, 2025, approached the court with the motion ex parte, seeking to freeze Kyari’s accounts while investigations continued into allegations of conspiracy, abuse of office, and money laundering.
According to the affidavit filed in support of the motion, EFCC investigator Amin Abdullahi, attached to the Special Investigation Unit, confirmed that the probe followed a petition submitted on April 24 by a civil group known as the Guardian of Democracy and Rule of Law. Abdullahi noted that his team obtained bank records from commercial banks as part of their inquiry.
Preliminary findings revealed that two of the accounts are directly in the name of Mele Kyari, while the other two are registered under a non-governmental organisation (NGO), the Guwori Community Development Foundation Flood Relief. The accounts identified are: “Jaiz Bank account number: 0017922724 with account name: Mele Kyari; Jaiz Bank account number: 0017922724 with account name: Mele Kyari; Jaiz Bank account number: 0018575055 and Jaiz Bank account number: 0018575141 with both account names as Guwori Community Development Foundation Flood Relief.”
The Commission argued that the accounts are under investigation for suspected misappropriation of funds and breach of trust. It alleged that the accounts were being used by Kyari to receive questionable inflows from NNPC and several oil companies associated with the corporation.
Abdullahi further disclosed that the accounts were managed by Kyari through his family members, who acted as fronts. He revealed that investigations so far traced N661,464,601.50 suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities into the four accounts.
He explained that some of the transactions were disguised as funding for a book launch and activities of the NGO. The EFCC also stated that it had directed Jaiz Bank to provide hard copies of comprehensive account statements and had placed a “no debit” restriction on the accounts, though this would last only for 72 hours without a court order.
The Commission maintained that freezing the accounts was necessary to preserve the funds and ensure they remain intact pending the conclusion of its investigations and any possible prosecution. It added that granting the application was in the overall interest of justice.
What you should know
Mele Kyari, who served as the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited until recently, is facing EFCC investigations over alleged fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering.
His bank accounts, including those tied to an NGO, are accused of holding over ₦661 million in suspicious funds.
