Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has formally withdrawn its N100 billion lawsuit against the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), and five petroleum firms, bringing an end to the legal battle that had lingered since September 6, 2024.
The suit, filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, under case number FHC/ABJ/CS/1324/2024, was discontinued following the submission of a notice of discontinuance dated July 28, 2025. The filing, signed by Ogwu Onoja (SAN), lead counsel to Dangote Refinery, clearly stated: “Take notice that the plaintiff herein discontinues this suit against the defendants forthwith.”
Those listed as co-defendants in the now-dropped suit included AYM Shafa Limited, A. A. Rano Limited, T. Time Petroleum Limited, 2015 Petroleum Limited, and Matrix Petroleum Services Limited, alongside NMDPRA and NNPC Ltd.
Okay.ng reports that Dangote Refinery had initially approached the court seeking N100 billion in damages, accusing NMDPRA and others of flouting the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), particularly Section 317(8) and (9), by granting petroleum importation licences to the said marketers. The company argued that such approvals directly undermined the interests of local producers, especially following its entry into the domestic fuel market.
Industry analysts had speculated that the litigation was part of Dangote Refinery’s broader push to assert dominance as Nigeria’s top fuel supplier following its much-publicized launch of fuel distribution in late September 2024. However, recent trends, including a significant decline in petroleum imports in the last quarter, suggest that the refinery has begun to gain market ground, potentially reducing the need for legal escalation.
