LAGOS, Nigeria: The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation filed a legal defense at the Federal High Court in May 2026 against a lawsuit by Dangote Refinery seeking to halt petroleum import licenses.
Okay News reports that NNPC Ltd. submitted a formal response to the AGF opposing the suit on the grounds that the requests by the refinery could disrupt statutory supply obligations and national fuel security.
The legal dispute, marked FHC/L/CS/857/2026, involves requests by the refinery to restrain government agencies from issuing or renewing import licenses for Premium Motor Spirit, Automotive Gas Oil, and Jet A1. The refinery argued that its current processing capacity is sufficient to satisfy total national demand.
The refinery additionally submitted formal accusations stating that the Federal Government of Nigeria and its agencies failed to ensure adequate crude oil supply to support its operations. In its defense, the national oil company argued that the current litigation mirrors an earlier discontinued case from 2024, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1324/2024.
In documents submitted to the attorney general, the company stated that Section 317(9) of the Petroleum Industry Act operates only under a formally activated Backward Integration Policy under Section 317(8). The company noted that no official policy instrument has been issued to activate these provisions.
The national oil company emphasized that Section 64(m) of the legislation designates it as the statutory supplier of last resort, which mandates continuous import planning, strategic fuel storage management, and nationwide distribution readiness. The company informed the government that granting the requests from the refinery would impair its ability to respond to supply emergencies.
The court issued an enrolled order on April 29 directing all parties to maintain the status quo, which was formally served on May 4. Following a request for an official position on May 7, the national oil company submitted its response on May 8 ahead of a hearing scheduled for May 13.
