A Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled January 30 for the hearing of a lawsuit filed by Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE, challenging the petrol import licenses of several oil marketing companies.
The court adjourned the case on Monday to allow for the proper service of court documents on the relevant parties.
At the hearing, George Ibrahim, the plaintiff’s counsel, informed the court that the session was intended to either report on the status of settlement talks or the progress of service.
He explained that the service of processes had not been completed, and that reconciliation efforts had not yet been addressed due to a motion filed to amend the plaintiff’s originating summons after identifying an error in the initial application.
Respondents’ legal representatives, including Matthew Bukar (NMDPRA), Ahmed Raji (representing AYM Shafa, A.A. Rano Limited, and Matrix Limited), and Divine Oguru (representing T. Time Petroleum and 2015 Petroleum Limited), also stated they had not received the necessary documents.
The lawsuit, identified as FHC/ABJ/CS/1324/2024, was filed by Dangote Petroleum against the NMDPRA, NNPCL, A.Y.M. Shafa Holdings Limited, A.A. Rano Limited, T. Time Petroleum Limited, 2015 Petroleum Limited, and Matrix Petroleum Services Limited.
In addition to seeking to invalidate the defendants’ petrol import licenses, Dangote Petroleum is requesting N100 billion in damages.
One of the key reliefs sought in the suit is a declaration that Dangote Petroleum, as a Free-Zone Enterprise, is exempt from federal, state, and local government taxes, levies, and other rates based on various provisions of the Nigerian Export Processing Zone Act (NEPZA), Companies Income Tax Act (CIT Act), and the Finance Act.
The case has been adjourned until January 30 for further proceedings.