The Senate Public Account Committee (SPAC) has issued a stern warning to the external auditors of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), threatening to arrest them if they continue to ignore invitations to appear before the committee.

Chairman of SPAC, Senator Aliyu Wadada, expressed frustration at the auditors’ absence during a session to examine NNPCL’s financial statements from 2017 to 2023.

“It is completely unacceptable that citizens entrusted with public trust would consistently breach that trust,” Wadada said at a National Assembly media briefing.

The committee rejected the appearance of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) who showed up claiming to represent the four auditing firms—SIAO, VWC, Muktali Dangana & Co, and Ahmed Zakaria & Co—insisting that only the actual auditors who prepared the reports are fit to provide clarifications.

“We found him not fit and proper as of today to stand before us as a representative of the external auditing firms,” Wadada said.The committee warned, “If they do not appear as summoned, we will have no choice but to invoke the powers available to us under the law to compel their attendance.

The Nigerian public and the international community deserve to know the truth.”Senator Saliu Mustapha, a committee member, emphasized the importance of accountability: “There are sensitive issues that must be addressed. We cannot allow them to be swept under the carpet. Our duty as representatives of the Nigerian people demands full accountability.”

Failure to comply may lead to full public disclosure of the financial irregularities and legal action to enforce attendance.