The $7.2 billion refinery scandal has taken a dramatic turn. On Monday, September 22, 2025, the Coalition for Accountability in Public Resources (CAPR) openly challenged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, demanding the immediate recovery of funds allegedly looted under former NNPCL boss, Mele Kyari.
In a strongly worded statement, CAPR’s national president, Comrade Ebiowei Ogoniba, accused the EFCC of playing to the gallery by merely freezing Kyari’s bank accounts. He stressed that Nigerians are tired of half measures and want to see the stolen billions actually brought back. According to him, “freezing accounts is not justice… the EFCC owes this nation full recovery.”
The pressure comes on the heels of a string of events that have kept Kyari in the spotlight. In August, a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the freezing of several accounts linked to him. By early September, Kyari was seen at EFCC headquarters, questioned for hours before being released. These moves, though dramatic, have left many wondering whether the anti-graft body is willing to go beyond appearances and deliver real results.
The size of the money in question has also fueled public outrage. While earlier reports on the refineries saga mentioned billions in different figures, CAPR insists the total is $7.2 billion. It is a number so staggering that people can’t help but imagine what such funds could have meant for schools, hospitals, and working refineries across the country.
Perhaps what gives the story its edge is the warning CAPR issued. The coalition made it clear that if the EFCC drags its feet, Nigerians should expect mass protests across major cities. Their warning that “the days of empty drama are over” has since been echoed in conversations both on the streets and online, as citizens grow impatient with endless corruption headlines.
The big question now is whether the EFCC will act. For some, this is a test of the commission’s credibility, a chance to prove that powerful names can still be held accountable. For others, it is just another chapter in the long list of scandals where the heat eventually dies down without justice being served.
For now, the pressure is building, and the story is far from over.
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