The long-running dispute over Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL) 245 resurfaced on Monday as Malabu Oil & Gas Limited dragged the Federal Government before the Federal High Court in Abuja over the splitting of the oil block into four assets.
In the fresh suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/871/2026, Malabu asked the court to declare the government’s actions illegal and unconstitutional. The oil firm is also seeking N1 trillion in damages over what it described as unlawful interference with its rights to the oil block.
The President, the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Minister of Petroleum Resources were listed as first to third defendants in the suit filed by a team of lawyers led by R.O. Atabo (SAN) on May 25, 2026.
The company challenged the Federal Government’s decision to split OPL 245 among Shell Nigeria Ultra-Deep Limited, Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Company Limited, Nigerian Agip Exploration Company Limited and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
The reliefs sought by the firm include a declaration that the executive actions leading to the sharing of the asset violated its subsisting rights over OPL 245. Malabu argued that neither the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) nor any other law empowered the government to create concurrent possessory rights over the oil block while its own rights remained valid.
It further asked the court to nullify the Block 245 Resolution Agreement and the subsequent conversion of OPL 245 to OML 245. It maintained that the conversion was carried out despite pending suits before the Federal High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
Hearing on the matter was fixed for June 11, 2026, for further proceedings.
