The Nigerian Senate has announced plans to summon key figures and organizations for questioning over alleged economic sabotage in the country’s petroleum sector.

This move includes the Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Dangote Group, and Minister of State for Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri.

The Leader of the Senate and Chairman of the Senate ad-hoc committee on “Alleged Economic Sabotage in the Nigerian Petroleum Industry” made the announcement during a media briefing on Thursday.

The committee was formed on July 23 and will investigate the billions of dollars spent on turnaround maintenance of state-owned refineries over the past decade.

The chairman stated, “We are setting up a public hearing for September 10, where contractors handling the turnaround maintenance will be present. We will also visit Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Warri to speak with key players in the petroleum industry.”

Members of the committee have pledged to thoroughly investigate the sector, stating that there will be no tolerance for wrongdoing. The committee warned, “We will issue a warrant of arrest for any agency head who fails to appear when summoned.”

The Senate’s move follows a dispute between Dangote Refinery and Nigeria’s regulatory bodies. Dangote Refinery has been accused of producing substandard products, a claim denied by the NNPCL. The House of Representatives has inspected the refinery and is investigating these allegations.

The House has also called for the suspension of Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), over his “unguarded comments” about Dangote’s products.

In response, Nigerian businessmen and politicians have supported Dangote Refinery, urging for support for local entrepreneurs in the country.