BY JENNIFER EZIMAKOR
A group, the Young Professionals Forum of Nigeria (YPFN) has called on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to deny entry or visa access to the former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mallam Mele Kyari.
Led by its convener, Barrister Sambari Benjamin, and the Organising Secretary, Comrade Ndubuokwu, the group of over 1,000 members—including lawyers, doctors, engineers, artisans, and other young professionals, on Thursday, visited the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Maitama, Abuja, where they submitted a formal petition against Kyari.
Speaking with journalists, Sambari stated that the group’s appeal was a proactive step aimed at ensuring due process in relation to ongoing inquiries by relevant Nigerian authorities.
He said the forum had received indications that preliminary investigations may have commenced into Kyari’s tenure and that there were concerns he might seek to remain abroad during the process.
In their petition, the forum requested the Saudi authorities to consider the broader implications of the matter and assist in upholding international cooperation.
They expressed concern over the possibility of Kyari using a stay in Saudi Arabia to delay or avoid engagement with official processes at home.
“We, the Young Professionals Forum of Nigeria, write to Your Excellency and the esteemed custodians of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Abuja, not only as patriotic citizens but as advocates for transparency and national development. We respectfully seek your kind support in this matter,” the petition read.
“‘Indeed, the penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and spread mischief in the land is death, crucifixion, cutting off their hands and feet on opposite sides, or exile from the land. This ˹penalty˺ is a disgrace for them in this world, and they will suffer a tremendous punishment in the Hereafter”, the petitioners said.
The group therefore, urged the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Nigeria to deny Kyari entry into the Kingdom, “under any guise, diplomatic, medical, religious, or commercial; any visa application, asylum request, or special entry petition by him”; while urging relevant Saudi Arabian authorities to liaise with Nigerian anti-corruption agencies to ensure international cooperation in this matter.
“Saudi Arabia, being a leader of the Muslim Ummah, reaffirms its unyielding stance against corruption, economic sabotage, and terrorism by distancing itself from characters like Mele Kyari”, the group stressed.
Recall that Nigerians in the United Kingdom, had last week protested in the Nigerian House in London, asking Kyari to return to Nigeria to face prosecutions of the many allegations against him.