$4 Billion Refinery Fraud: Protesters Storm ICPC Headquarters, Call for Probe of Group’s Connection to Missing Funds

Hundreds of protesters, led by the Concerned Lawyers and Citizens Network (CLCN), stormed the headquarters of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in Abuja on Thursday demanding an immediate investigation into what they described as a massive $4 billion fraud involving the a popular Group and missing funds meant for Nigeria’s refinery rehabilitation.

In a speech delivered by Sambari G. Benjamin, Esq., the CLCN accused the  Group, a conglomerate with ties to a former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), of being a front for allegedly laundering stolen public funds.

The group pointed to the mysterious disappearance of $2.896 billion allocated for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries, which remain non-functional despite the massive investment.

“We are here because something is deeply wrong,” Benjamin declared to a crowd of supporters and journalists.

“The Group is not just a business; it is a vessel of money laundering, a shell of secrecy, and a front for repurposing stolen public funds.”

The CLCN highlighted the Group’s recent $2.4 billion deal to build a cement plant for a state, questioning the source of the funds and the company’s sudden emergence in industries ranging from oil and gas to cement and agriculture.

“Why do these funds correspond with the missing money meant for our refineries? This is not coincidence. This is corruption with a family name.”

The protesters demanded that the ICPC launch a full-scale investigation into the Group’s financial operations, expose its investors and directors, and recover every kobo diverted from the refinery funds.

They also called for accountability for all individuals involved, regardless of their influence.

“We speak for the mechanic in Kaduna, the mother in Warri, and the youth in Port Harcourt who have been robbed of opportunity, dignity, and truth,” Benjamin said.

“This is about justice and restoring faith in our institutions.”

The CLCN vowed to continue their agitation until the truth is revealed and justice is served, warning that Nigerians will not be silenced or intimidated.

“Let this day be remembered as the moment Nigerians stood up and said: Enough is enough with the theft of our commonwealth,” Benjamin concluded.