Byline: Abuja | July 18, 2025
A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court has struck out a lawsuit filed by a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) against Engr. Gbenga Komolafe, Commission Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), describing the suit as frivolous and lacking in merit.
The suit, filed by the Registered Trustees of Trust Field Empowerment Initiatives, sought to compel the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation (HAGF) or his proxies to prosecute Engr. Komolafe within 30 days over alleged irregularities in the award of oil blocks and the fixing of signature bonuses.
The case, marked FCT/HC/GAR/CV/128/2025, also listed the NUPRC and the Attorney-General as co-defendants.
In a ruling delivered on Friday, July 18, 2025, Justice H. Muazu upheld preliminary objections filed by the legal teams of the three defendants, who argued that the FCT High Court lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter. Citing Section 251(1)(a) and (n) of the 1999 Constitution, the court affirmed that only the Federal High Court has jurisdiction over issues related to federal revenue and matters concerning mines, minerals, oil fields, and natural gas.
Lead counsels Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN) for the Attorney-General, Oladele Gbadeyan for Engr. Komolafe, and Chief Chiesonu Okpoko (SAN) for the NUPRC, also urged the court to award ₦100 million in damages against the claimant for what they described as an abuse of court process aimed at harassing and embarrassing the regulatory chief.
While the court declined the ₦100 million request, Justice Muazu agreed that the suit was frivolous and without merit. He subsequently awarded a cost of ₦3 million each to the three defendants — totalling ₦9 million — against Trust Field Empowerment Initiatives.
The judgment brings an end to the widely criticized legal action, which legal experts say lacked both factual and constitutional grounding.
