Dangote Refinery dismisses case against petroleum importers from Nigeria
Dangote Refinery has retracted its legal action against Nigeria’s midstream and downstream petroleum regulator, along with several fuel importers, including the state-owned NNPC Ltd, regarding fuel imports, as indicated in a court filing reviewed by Reuters.
Africa’s largest refinery aimed to invalidate the fuel import licenses granted to NNPC Ltd, AYM Shafa Ltd, A.A. Rano Ltd, T. Time Petroleum Ltd, 2015 Petroleum Ltd, and Matrix Petroleum Services Ltd. It also requested 100 billion naira ($66 million) in damages.
Dangote Refinery filed a lawsuit claiming that the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Agency is breaking the law by persistently granting gasoline import permits to NNPC and other fuel traders. NMDPRA has yet to provide a response to the allegation.
The suit, submitted to Nigeria’s Federal High Court, stated that the law permits imports solely to address production shortfalls.
On Monday, a notice of discontinuance was filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja by Dangote’s lawyer, Ogwu Onoja, stating: “Take notice that the plaintiff herein discontinues this suit against the defendants forthwith.” The reason for the withdrawal was not provided.
The case remains set for a hearing on September 29, at which point the defendants may choose to either pursue costs or forgo them, enabling the court to officially dismiss the suit.
