Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has formally withdrawn its lawsuit challenging the issuance of petroleum import licences to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and several oil marketing companies.
The suit, filed in September 2024 at the Federal High Court in Abuja, sought to invalidate the import licences granted by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). Dangote Refinery argued that the licences violated the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and undermined efforts to promote local refining. It also demanded �100 billion in damages from the NMDPRA.
The case, registered as FHC/ABJ/CS/1324/2024, listed NMDPRA, NNPCL, and five oil marketing firms as defendants. Dangote maintained that the current licensing approach discouraged domestic production by encouraging continued dependence on fuel imports.
In response, the defendants described the suit as anti-competitive and designed to establish a monopoly. The NMDPRA defended its actions, stating that the issuance of import licences was necessary to ensure market stability during the refinerys gradual production ramp-up.
NNPCL, through a preliminary objection, claimed it was wrongly included in the case and argued that Dangote Refinery lacked the legal standing to sue. While the court dismissed this objection on procedural grounds, the refinery later sought to amend the case to correct naming errors.
Although the matter was scheduled for substantive hearing on September 29, Dangote Refinery submitted a notice of discontinuance, officially ending the proceedings. The notice, signed by its lead counsel Ogwu Onoja (SAN), did not provide any reason for the decision to withdraw the case.
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