Confusion has enveloped the case of former Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, as conflicting reactions trail calls for his probe over the management of Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.

Kyari, who was sacked alongside other executives by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration on April 2 due to performance concerns, has become the center of controversy following his earlier announcements about the refineries' operational status.

In November and December last year, Kyari had announced the commencement of petroleum products production at both Port Harcourt and Warri refineries. However, questions regarding the actual production capacity of these facilities remained contentious before his exit.

The situation has sparked protests both in Nigeria and abroad. Recently, a 'Kyari Must Go' protest was held in London, with demonstrators demanding his deportation from the United Kingdom. Another group has threatened to organize similar protests in the United States and the United Arab Emirates.

Adding to the pressure, a group of 500 lawyers has joined the call for Kyari's investigation, intensifying scrutiny on his tenure at NNPCL.

However, not all voices are aligned in this demand. Igwe Ude Umanta, convener of the Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative and Coalition of Civil Society Groups, has dismissed the calls for Kyari's probe as "needless." In a statement released on Sunday, Umanta claimed the protests are sponsored attempts to tarnish Kyari's reputation.

"It is now even visible to the blind that these shenanigans have nothing to do with any crusade against corruption, and some really corrupt interests are instead on a mission to blackmail Mallam Kyari, a plot we suspect he has vehemently, and rightly so, refused to be cajoled into. This has indeed become an exaggerated joke," Umanta stated.

The Nigerian Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, confirmed last month that a forensic audit would be conducted on Kyari's administration of NNPCL. Earlier this month, reports emerged suggesting that Kyari and others had been detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged mismanagement of $2.9 billion allocated for state-owned refineries.

Kyari has since denied being in EFCC custody, maintaining that he led NNPCL "with the fear of God."

As the controversy continues to unfold, Nigerians await clarity on whether a formal investigation into Kyari's tenure will proceed, and what such an inquiry might reveal about the management of the nation's petroleum assets.