The Federal High Court in Yenagoa yesterday restrained the Federal Government from issuing licences for marginal oilfields in Niger Delta pending the determination of a pending suit. Some Ijaw leaders in 2020 approached the court seeking to halt the licensing of marginal oil fields located in their domains, but following setbacks and delays suffered by the suit, the bid winners were announced on June 1, 2021. According to the court order sighted in Yenagoa, Justice Isa Dashen granted the injunction order in favour of the plaintiffs.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami; the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva are defendants in the suit. The reliefs sought and granted by the court are: “That the respondents be restrained from further advertising and receiving bids in respect of the marginal fields.
“The defendants are also restrained from approving licences in respect of the marginal fields.” Recall that Justice Dashen inherited the case from Justice Abimbola Awogboro following her transfer to the Lagos division of the court The case has been fixed for June 8 for the continuation of hearing and ruling on pending motions before the court. Meanwhile, a coalition of Ijaw groups in a reaction to the development in a statement yesterday urged the parties in the shit to obey and comply with the order of the court.
