Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has officially withdrawn its ₦100 billion lawsuit against the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and five other oil marketing companies.
The case, which was before the Federal High Court in Abuja, was discontinued by the refinery’s legal team via a formal notice of discontinuance. The notice did not state the reasons behind the decision, nor did it clarify whether the matter was resolved through an out-of-court settlement.
Also named in the suit were AYM Shafa Limited, A. A. Rano Limited, T. Time Petroleum Limited, 2015 Petroleum Limited, and Matrix Petroleum Services Limited.
Dangote Refinery had initially asked the court to award ₦100 billion in damages, accusing NMDPRA of breaching Sections 317(8) and (9) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) by issuing petroleum import licences despite no declared shortfall in local production. The company alleged that such actions undermined indigenous refining efforts and violated regulatory obligations to promote local refineries.
However, in their response, the defendants argued that the licences were lawfully granted to companies with proven capacity to bridge supply gaps in the domestic market. NMDPRA, in particular, maintained that Dangote Refinery’s current output was insufficient to meet the nation’s daily demand, thereby justifying the issuance of import licences.
The marketers also accused Dangote Refinery of attempting to stifle competition and monopolise the oil supply and pricing chain in Nigeria.
In a related procedural development, NNPCL had earlier filed a preliminary objection over a misnomer in the suit, challenging its validity. Although the objection was dismissed by Justice Inyang Ekwo in March 2025, the suit has now been dropped entirely.
The Dangote Refinery, which was commissioned in May 2023, is Africa’s largest single-train refinery and aims to significantly reduce Nigeria’s reliance on imported refined petroleum products.
