The Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Engineer Gbenga Komolafe, has been barred from a lawsuit by the Federal Capital Territory High Court.
Justice H. Muazu overturned the case brought by a non-governmental organization seeking to compel the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) or its proxies to prosecute Engineer Komolafe within 30 days in a ruling issued on Friday, July 18, 2025.
In the lawsuit filed under the name FCT/HC/GAR/CV/128/2025, the NGO Registered Trustees of Trust Field Empowerment Initiatives made unsupported allegations against the NUPRC boss regarding the provision of oil blocks and fixing applicable signature bonuses.
Additionally, it brought legal action against the AGF and the NUPRC, who are the third and first defendants, respectively.
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Counsel argued that the FCT High Court was competent to hear and decide the matter in their respective preliminary objections, citing Section 251 (1)(n) of the 1999 Constitution.
The Federal High Court is specifically exempt from all other courts under the Constitution for civil cases involving the federation’s revenue-generating government.
The Federal High Court retains the exclusive jurisdiction over civil lawsuits involving mines and minerals, including oil fields, oil mining, geological surveys, and natural gas, further states the law.
The defendants, who are represented by Mr. Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN), Oladele Gbadeyan, and Chief Chiesonu Okpoko (SAN), who represent the HAGF, Komolafe, and the NUPRC, respectively, sought an order to award the claimant $1,000,000 (One hundred million naira) as damages for bringing “such a frivolous and vexatious suit to harass, intimidate, and ridicule,”
Source: Channels TV
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