Alleged refinery rehab failure: Northern groups drag NNPCL CFO to court

From Noah Ebije, Kaduna

The Arewa Community for Empowerment and the Development and Arewa Consultative Youth Movement have sued Dapo Segun, chief financial officer (CFO) of the NNPC Limited and former executive vice president (EVP) downstream, praying for his sack, arrest and prosecution over alleged role in the failure of the refinery rehabilitation, OVH NNPCL Retail acquisition deal.

This is just as youths from 19 northern states have asked President Bola Tinubu, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Department of State Services (DSS) to allow the law take its cause for or against Segun, during the period he presided over the project as Vice President of downstream.

The Arewa Youths in the suit filed before the Federal High Court, Kaduna yesterday by Ahmed Yusuf, applied for the issuance of an Order of Mandamus to inter-alia cause the EFCC to probe, arrest and prosecute the NNPCL CFO while he resigns. The suit no FHC/KD/CS/101/2025 has the Arewa Consultative Youth Movement President, and the Arewa Community for Empowerment and Development as complainants with the EFCC and Segun as first and second respondents. The ex parte motion is praying the court to make: “A declaration that the failure by the first respondent to investigate the fraudulent conduct or role of the second respondent, as then Executive Vice President Downstream and now Chief Financial Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, in connection with the acquisition of the OVH Energy by the NNPCL and the rehabilitation of the Port-Harcourt and Warri Refineries, amounts to a gross violation of its statutory duties.

“An order compelling the first respondent to within seven days from the service of the Order of this Court on it, commence a thorough and dispassionate investigation of the fraudulent conduct or role of the second respondent, as then Executive Vice President Downstream and now Chief Financial Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, in connection with the acquisition of the OVH Energy by the NNPCL and rehabilitation of the Port-Harcourt and Warri Refineries and to publish the report of its investigation to the public within 14 days of its conclusion.

“An order that where the report of the first respondent’s investigation discloses commission of any offence, the first respondent shall forthwith arrest and prosecute the second respondent (Dapo Segun) for the economic and financial offences relating to the acquisition of OVH Energy by the NNPCL and rehabilitation of the Port-Harcourt and Warri Refineries.

“An interim order of court directing the second respondent (Dapo Segun) to forthwith step aside as the Chief Financial Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and refrain from holding himself out as the Chief Financial Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and desist from the performance of any duty pertaining thereto, tampering with or altering any documents or records, material to the investigation into his conduct and/or role in the acquisition of the of OVH Energy by the NNPCL and rehabilitation of the Port-Harcourt and Warri Refineries, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive motion on notice for judicial review.

“An order of conduct granting leave to the applicants to serve the substantive motion on notice for judicial review and any other process(es) in this suit upon the second respondent by delivering the same to the legal department of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited at its head office at Central Business District, Abuja.

“An order of conduct abridging the time within which the respondents shall respond to and/or file their respective defences or counter affidavit (if any) to the substantive motion on notice for judicial review to a period of four working days from the date of service and for such further or other orders as this Court may deem fit to make in the circumstances.”