Nigerian Senate gives Seplat, three oil firms 48 hours to answer audit queries

The Nigerian Senate has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Seplat Energy and three other oil companies to appear before its Public Accounts Committee and respond to audit queries, warning that failure to comply will trigger the full invocation of legislative powers. The directive, issued on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, targets the managing directors of Seplat Energy, Network EP Nigeria Limited, All Grace Energy Limited, and Aradel Energy Limited. The committee, chaired by Senator Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, is reviewing queries contained in the 2021, 2022, and 2023 audit reports of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).

The ultimatum followed the companies' repeated failure to honor previous invitations to the committee's investigative hearing in Abuja. Senator Abdul Ningi, a former Deputy Senate Leader, called for sanctions after Network EP Nigeria Limited sent a letter to the committee stating it was accountable to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) rather than the Senate panel. Ningi described the letter as "disturbing and unacceptable," asserting that the National Assembly has the constitutional authority to summon any...