Court Restrains NMDPRA From Interfering With Dangote Refinery Operations
Court Restrains NMDPRA From Interfering With Dangote Refinery Operations
A Federal High Court in Lagos has issued an interim injunction restraining the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) from shutting down or interfering with the operations of Dangote Petroleum Refinery in the Lekki Free Zone.
Justice Akintayo Aluko granted the order on August 31, 2026, while ruling on an ex-parte application marked FHC/L/CS/1174/2026, filed by Dangote Petroleum Refinery Nigeria Limited through its legal team led by Senior Advocates Olawale Akoni and Abimbola Akeredolu.
The legal action followed an August 24 letter from the NMDPRA directing the suspension of the loading and truck-out of petroleum products from the refinery.
In granting the interim order, Justice Aluko said the case raised serious questions over the extent of NMDPRA’s regulatory and oversight powers over petroleum operations within free zones. The judge also referred to a March 2, 2026 letter from the Attorney-General of the Federation which, according to the ruling, stated that NMDPRA was not entitled to exercise such powers over operations within free zones.
However, the court has not yet made a final determination on NMDPRA’s regulatory jurisdiction. The matter has been adjourned to September 9, 2026, for hearing of the motion on notice.
