SEC Bans Marketing, Promotion of Dangote Refinery’s IPO by Stockbrokers

The marketing and promotion of the planned initial public offering (IPO) by Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals FZE has been banned by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A statement from the apex capital market regulator on Tuesday emphasised that it had yet to receive any application for such an offer or approve the purported IPO.

SEC noted that it had become aware of advertisements, flyers, digital banners and targeted electronic mails circulating on social media platforms and investment channels concerning a supposed securities offering by the refinery.

It expressed concern over the involvement of some Registered Capital Market Operators (CMOs) in what it described as an “unwholesome and manipulative exercise” of actively soliciting advance subscriptions for an offering that has not been presented to the commission.

“No application for the registration of an IPO or public offer of shares of the Refinery has been filed with or approved by the commission,” the agency noted, adding that the ongoing pre-marketing activities were “capable of misleading investors, distorting market expectations, creating information asymmetry and generally undermining the integrity of the capital market.”

It further stated that the marketing campaign and invitations to “create accounts”, “pre-fund,” or “secure guaranteed allocations” amounted to market manipulation and constituted “serious violation of the Investments and Securities Act.”

Consequently, the SEC directed all Registered Capital Market Operators, particularly stockbrokers and digital platform promoters, to immediately stop all promotional activities.

It also directed them to “cease with immediate effect from publishing, reposting, or distributing any promotional material, flyer, or commentary relating to the acquisition or allocation of shares in the Refinery.”

The commission further ordered operators to “remove or take down all such unauthorised marketing materials from websites, social media handles (including X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook etc.), and messaging groups within twenty-four (24) hours of this notice.”

The regulator further instructed operators to desist from accepting deposits, commitments, account openings or expressions of interest from investors for the purported public offering and to “reverse and refund all funds already collected in connection with this purported offering to clients within twenty-four (24) hours of this notice.”

The organisation warned that defaulters would face sanctions as non-compliance would attract penalties under the Investments and Securities Act, 2025 and the SEC Rules and Regulations.

Advising investors to exercise caution, the SEC said members of the public should “rely only on formal, official pronouncements issued directly by the commission through its official channels.”

It warned that “all such high-pressure marketing tactics, or transfer of funds to any operator for ‘pre-IPO’ placement should be ignored as they did not receive the commission’s approval.”

SEC assured that if it eventually receives and clears an application for a public offering by the refinery, an approved prospectus would be made available to investors in line with the provisions of the Investments and Securities Act, 2025.