The Senate has distanced itself from the arrest warrant issued against former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mallam Mele Kyari, by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts.
The upper chamber clarified that no Senate committee has the authority to independently issue, authorise, or execute a warrant of arrest without following the provisions of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act and obtaining the approval of the President of the Senate.
The Senate also dissociated itself from comments reportedly made by Senator Adams Oshiomhole during a committee hearing, in which he allegedly described the NNPC as a “bunch of criminals and thieves.”
The controversy followed a decision by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, chaired by Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe North), which on Wednesday ordered the arrest of Kyari after he failed to appear before the committee. The committee is investigating alleged discrepancies involving N210 trillion in NNPC accounts covering the period between 2017 and 2023.
The warrant was issued during an investigative session held in Abuja, where committee members expressed dissatisfaction over Kyari’s absence despite invitations extended to him regarding the ongoing probe.
However, the issue was brought before the full Senate on Thursday by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) through a point of order based on Orders 41 and 51 of the Senate Standing Rules.
Addressing lawmakers, Bamidele urged the Senate to reaffirm the provisions of Sections 4, 5 and 6 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, which grant the authority to issue warrants compelling the attendance of witnesses before the Senate or its committees exclusively to the President of the Senate.
According to him, while committees are empowered to conduct investigations and summon individuals to appear before them, they do not possess the legal authority to independently issue or enforce arrest warrants.
Following deliberations, the Senate resolved that any future action involving warrants must strictly comply with existing laws and parliamentary procedures. The chamber maintained that no committee should assume powers beyond those granted by law and reiterated that approval from the Senate President remains a mandatory requirement before any warrant can be issued in the name of the Senate.
The resolution effectively nullified any impression that the arrest warrant against Kyari represented the official position of the Senate, while reinforcing the procedural limits of its committees in carrying out investigative functions.
Senate Disowns Arrest Warrant Issued Against Former NNPC Boss Mele Kyari
