A group of concerned Nigerian citizens has petitioned the U.S. government to investigate and impose sanctions against the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and its CEO Mele Kyari for allegedly violating sanctions on Russian crude oil.
In a letter to the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the group alleges that under Kyari’s leadership, NNPCL imported Russian crude oil and petroleum products at prices that exceeded the cap set by the Price Cap Coalition, comprising the US, G7, EU and Australia.
The organization Concerned Citizens on Economic Reform Nigeria (CCERN) claims that NNPCL in Malta mixed petroleum products with Russian crude oil at prices above the threshold of 60 dollars per barrel, thereby violating the sanctions.
They further claim that the transactions in question amounted to over $2.08 billion and enabled Russia to generate significant revenue to finance its war effort.
“The violation of the sanction is committed by a certain Mr. Meie Kolo Kyari in his capacity as Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL,” said the letter, jointly signed by Comrade Tijani Ibrahim and Ambassador Fatima Abubakar.
“Our group was alerted to the violation during a price tracking exercise to determine whether Nigerians are paying more for petrol than the international benchmark price, as the country has become dependent on imports to meet domestic needs.
“We discovered that NNPLC, in collusion with Mr Kyari’s partners, has an agreement to blend petroleum products in Malta before shipping them to Nigeria. The transaction, which was made last year, is said to be worth more than $2.08 billion, which effectively allows Russia to continue to generate significant revenues to oil its war machine.”
The group also names other individuals and companies allegedly involved in the breach, including Matrix Energy, Poly Pro Trading DMCC and senior officials of NNPCL.
They claim that the proceeds from these illegal activities are used to strengthen Russian influence in West Africa and to finance anti-Western protests.
Nigeria’s Concerned Citizens on Economic Reforms is calling on the United States to investigate and sanction those involved, including Kyari, NNPCL employees and other companies, to prevent further violations and protect global interests.
“The large-scale protests in the first half of this month were partly funded with proceeds from Mr Kyari’s evasion of Price Cap Coalition sanctions,” the letter continued.
“The funds were paid specifically to produce Russian flags and to mobilise people to raise these flags while chanting pro-Russian and anti-Western slogans.
“The violation of sanctions by Mr Kyari and his allies by deliberately flouting the price cap therefore has consequences that go beyond the Russian-Ukrainian axis. It risks strengthening Russia’s influence in West Africa and plunging the region into conflicts that would harm Nigerian interests and those of the United States.
“The citizens of Nigeria are concerned about economic reform and have a conscientious desire to align themselves with the United States vision of moving the world in a positive direction where there is no place for dictatorships. This can only be achieved if individuals and companies comply with the sanctions imposed around the world.
“We therefore call on the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to urgently investigate Mr. Mele Kyari – CEO of NNPCL –, other NNPCL employees associated with the reported transactions, Mr. Abdulkabir Adisa Aliu, Matrix Energy and its units Matrix Pride, Matrix Triumph, Matrix S.ILU and ROMEO, and Poly Pro Trading DMCC as persons and entities with interest in the violation of the sanctions imposed by the Price Cap Coalition against Russia.”
