Dangote Refinery has withdrawn its high-profile lawsuit against Nigeria’s Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Agency (NMDPRA) and several major fuel importers, including state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), according to court documents.
The refinery—touted as Africa’s largest—had approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to challenge the continued issuance of fuel import licences by the NMDPRA to NNPC Ltd, as well as private operators such as AYM Shafa Ltd, A.A. Rano Ltd, T. Time Petroleum Ltd, 2015 Petroleum Ltd, and Matrix Petroleum Services Ltd. In its suit, Dangote sought to nullify these licences and demanded N100 billion (approximately $66 million) in damages.
Dangote’s legal team, led by Ogwu Onoja (SAN), argued that the NMDPRA was violating provisions of Nigeria’s petroleum law by allowing fuel imports that were not based on actual shortfalls in domestic production. According to the suit, the regulatory agency is only empowered to issue import permits when there is insufficient local supply—an exception the refinery claims was not justified in the present circumstances.
However, in a notice of discontinuance filed on Monday, Dangote Refinery voluntarily withdrew the suit without providing any reason. “Take notice that the plaintiff herein discontinues this suit against the defendants forthwith,” the filing stated.
The case had been scheduled for hearing on 29 September. Legal analysts say the court may still proceed on that date to formally strike out the matter, especially if the defendants choose not to pursue costs.
Neither the NMDPRA nor the companies listed as co-defendants have publicly commented on the development.
Melissa Enoch
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