Young Nigerian professionals in their hundreds, today stormed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Embassy in Abuja, demanding that the country deport Mele Kyari
Kyari is a former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.
They asked that Kyari be deported to the country to answer questions over alleged corruption during his tenure.
The protesters, under the aegis of Young Professionals Forum (YPF), said Kyari’s presence in Nigeria is required in the probe of the financial activities of the national oil company during his tenure as group chief executive officer.
Barrister Sambari Benjamin, who spoke for the protesters, noted that Kyari’s alleged corrupt practices have had far-reaching implications for Nigeria’s economy, particularly the country’s energy sector.
According to the protesters, Kyari’s tenure was marked by alleged deliberate obstruction of local refining initiatives, disregard for national interests and personal enrichment.
The Young Professionals Forum urged the UAE government to refuse Kyari residency and asylum.
Speaking during the protest, Benjamin said, “We urge the UAE government to refuse Kyari residency, asylum, and to blacklist him to prevent his escape from justice. The Nigerian people demand accountability and transparency, and we will not rest until justice is served.”
Benjamin added, “The implications of granting haven—whether directly or inadvertently—to Kyari are manifold. Firstly, it would constitute a direct affront to the Nigerian judicial process, which is on the verge of initiating investigations and possible prosecutions against him and his accomplices.
“More devastatingly, this would obviously send an unfortunate message to the people of Nigeria, most especially the youth and emerging professionals— that accountability is optional, that impunity is mobile, as that justice can be conveniently overridden or circumvented by the elites who can afford the financial prize.
“We, the Young Professionals Forum of Nigeria, therefore urge, in the strongest possible terms, that the United Arab Emirates refuse them residency and asylum. Let it not be said that the UAE, a nation of high moral standing, became an escape route for two of the most controversial figures in Nigeria’s contemporary regulatory history.”
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 Embassy in Abuja, demanding that the country deport Mele Kyari){kind=link}