By Henry Umoru
ABUJA — The Senate has distanced itself from the warrant of arrest reportedly issued against former Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mallam Mele Kyari, by its Committee on Public Accounts.
The upper legislative chamber declared that no Senate committee has the authority to independently issue, authorise or execute a warrant of arrest without strict compliance with the provisions of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act and the approval of the Senate President.
The Senate also dissociated itself from comments attributed to Senator Adams Oshiomhole, who reportedly described the NNPCL as a “bunch of criminals and thieves” during a committee hearing.
The development followed Wednesday’s decision by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, chaired by Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo (PDP, Gombe North), to order the arrest of Kyari for allegedly failing to appear before it over questions relating to an alleged unaccounted N210 trillion in NNPCL finances between 2017 and 2023.
The committee issued the warrant during an investigative hearing in Abuja after Kyari failed to attend the session.
However, the matter was brought before the Senate on Thursday by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), through a point of order based on Orders 41 and 51 of the Senate Standing Rules.
In his submission, Bamidele urged the Senate to reaffirm that, pursuant to Sections 4, 5 and 6 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, only the Senate President has the authority to issue a warrant compelling the attendance of any witness before the Senate or any of its committees.
He argued that no committee possesses the power to independently issue, authorise or execute a warrant of arrest.
Following deliberations, the Senate resolved that all committees must operate within the limits prescribed by law and that any warrant relating to legislative investigations must receive the approval of the Senate President before it can be validly issued or enforced.
Meanwhile, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) defended himself against allegations that he used unparliamentary language during the committee proceedings.
According to Oshiomhole, his remarks were made in response to what he described as provocation and were intended to defend the integrity and reputation of the Senate.
The controversy stems from the ongoing investigation by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts into alleged discrepancies and unaccounted funds amounting to N210 trillion in the financial records of the NNPCL between 2017 and 2023.
