Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has withdrawn its lawsuit against the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and five other petroleum companies.
The case, filed at the Federal High Court Abuja, was formally discontinued by the plaintiff’s legal team.
According to a notice of discontinuance filed before the court, Dangote Refinery resolved to end the proceedings against all seven defendants.
These included key players in the downstream sector such as AYM Shafa Limited, A. A. Rano Limited, T. Time Petroleum Limited, 2015 Petroleum Limited, and Matrix Petroleum Services Limited.
The notice itself provided no official reason for this pivotal decision.
It would be recalled that the legal action had sought ₦100 billion in damages from the NMDPRA.
Specifically, Dangote Refinery had accused the regulatory body of violating Sections 317(8) and (9) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) by issuing import licenses for petroleum products to the marketers mentioned above.
The refinery contended that such licenses should only be granted when a verifiable petroleum product shortfall exists within the country.
Furthermore, the plaintiff urged the court to declare that the NMDPRA had allegedly violated its statutory responsibilities under the PIA by failing to adequately encourage local refineries like Dangote Refinery.
In their counter-affidavits, the defendant marketers denied the allegations and requested the court to dismiss Dangote Refinery’s claims.
They insisted that competitive practices are not only vital for Nigeria’s economic health but also crucial for the long-term viability of the oil sector.
The marketers asserted their full qualification to receive import licenses from NMDPRA under Section 317(9) of the PIA, alleging that Dangote Refinery's suit was an attempt to monopolise the Nigerian petroleum industry, allowing it sole control over supply, distribution, and pricing.
The NMDPRA, in its counter-affidavit sworn to by Senior Regulatory Officer, Idris Musa, clarified that it issued oil licenses to NNPCL and other marketers to address existing petroleum product shortfalls in the country.
Musa argued that Dangote Refinery's production did not meet the national daily consumption requirement.
He further explained that, in adherence to Section 317(9) of the PIA, the agency granted import licenses to companies with proven international product trading experience to bridge the supply gap.
Musa denied any allegations of conspiracy against the plaintiff, asserting the agency’s mandate to promote competition and prevent monopolies within the sector.
The legal proceedings had earlier seen some procedural skirmishes.
On December 9, 2024, Dangote Refinery sought to amend its originating process to correct the name of the second defendant from “Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited” to “Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.”
NNPCL had raised a preliminary objection, arguing the suit was incompetent due to misidentification.
However, on March 18, 2025, Justice Inyang Ekwo dismissed the objection, ruling that the naming error did not render the suit defective and that the defendants should have responded to substantive claims before raising procedural objections.
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