Dangote Petroleum Refinery has officially withdrawn its ₦100 billion lawsuit challenging the Nigerian government’s approval of petroleum import licences.
The refinery filed the case on September 6, 2024, accusing the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) of breaching sections 317(8) and 317(9) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). According to the suit, the agency unlawfully issued importation licences despite the existence of adequate local refining capacity. Dangote argued that such licences should only be granted in situations where a verified shortfall in domestic supply exists.
The NMDPRA was named as the first defendant in the suit, alongside the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and several petroleum marketing firms — AYM Shafa Limited, A.A. Rano Limited, T. Time Petroleum Limited, 2015 Petroleum Limited, and Matrix Petroleum Services Limited.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Dangote’s counsel, C.O. Adegbe, told the court that the refinery had filed a notice of discontinuance on July 28, following a mutual agreement among all parties that the matter should be struck out.
After listening to submissions from both Adegbe and the defence counsel, Presiding Judge Mohammed Umar dismissed the case, bringing the legal dispute to a formal close.
