Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has withdrawn its lawsuit challenging the issuance of petroleum import licences to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and several oil marketers.
The refinery had filed the suit in September 2024 at the Federal High Court in Abuja, asking the court to nullify the licences issued by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). It argued that the licences, which allowed the importation of petroleum products, violated provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and undermined local refining efforts.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1324/2024, named NMDPRA, NNPCL, and five oil marketing companies as defendants. Dangote also demanded ₦100bn in damages from NMDPRA.
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In response, the marketers argued that Dangote’s position would create a monopoly and threaten national energy security. NMDPRA also defended its actions, saying import licences were necessary to bridge supply gaps, given the refinery’s current capacity.
NNPCL filed a preliminary objection, claiming it was wrongly joined in the suit and that the refinery lacked the legal right to bring the case. While the court dismissed the objection on procedural grounds, Dangote Refinery later applied to amend the suit to correct the misnomer.
However, ahead of the substantive hearing scheduled for September 29, the refinery filed a notice of discontinuance. The document, signed by its counsel, Ogwu Onoja (SAN), gave no reasons for the withdrawal.
