On Thursday, the Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the AGIP Indigenous Contractors Association and 43 others against the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPCL), its former CEO, Mele Kyari, and others, challenging a pipeline surveillance contract bidding process.
Justice Mohammed Umar struck out the case, labelling the plaintiffs as “busybodies” and “meddlesome interlopers” lacking legal standing to pursue the claim.
The AGIP contractors, representing indigenous contractors from Niger Delta oil communities, alleged that NNPCL and other authorities improperly awarded a pipeline surveillance contract to Tantita Security Services Limited.
Their counsel, Barrister O. Bofede, argued that NNPCL and Kyari were obligated to provide the plaintiffs a fair opportunity to bid for the contract, as required by the Nigerian Oil and Gas Content Development Act 2010.
“NNPCL is a private limited liability company that is duty-bound to implement the provisions of the Nigeria Oil and Gas Content Development Act 2010 to the benefit of the plaintiffs,” the plaintiffs argued.
They claimed NNPCL violated regulations by excluding them from the bidding process.
NNPCL denied the allegations, calling them “spurious and baseless” and defending the competence of Tantita and other firms, citing increased crude oil production and successes in combating oil theft, including vessel arrests and the dismantling of illegal refineries.
NNPCL also challenged the plaintiffs’ legal standing. Justice Umar ruled that the 43 applicants lacked locus standi and a valid cause of action.
“Finally, I am of the view that the 1st to 43rd applicants have not convinced this court that they possess the locus standi or the cause of action to institute this suit, and the Court lacks the jurisdiction to continue to hear this suit,” he said.
“I consider the applicants as meddlesome interlopers and busybodies who have no stake or legal interest to protect in this suit,” the judge added.
Tantita Security Services, owned by former militant Tompolo, was engaged by NNPCL to combat crude oil theft. In 2024, NNPCL reported 155 oil theft incidents in the Niger Delta between March 30 and April 5, including the arrest of a tugboat carrying illegally refined diesel in Rivers State on April 1.
