The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted leave to Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd to seek a judicial review against the Federal Government over the alleged splitting of OPL 245 into separate oil assets.
Justice Mohammed Umar gave the ruling on Thursday after hearing an ex parte motion filed by the company through its counsel, Reuben Atabo SAN.
According to the court, the application seeking declarations and injunctions against the executive action of the Federal Government was found to be meritorious. The judge noted that the affidavit evidence presented before the court sufficiently supported the reliefs sought by the applicant.
Justice Umar particularly referenced several paragraphs contained in the affidavit attached to the motion and stated that the court was satisfied with the depositions before granting the request.
The matter was subsequently adjourned until June 11 to allow Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd file and serve the originating summons regarding the substantive claims.
In the suit marked FHC ABJ CS 871 2026, the company listed the President of Nigeria, the Attorney General of the Federation, and the Minister of Petroleum Resources as the first, second, and third respondents respectively.
Malabu alleged that the Federal Government unlawfully divided OPL 245 into four separate assets before reallocating them to major oil companies, including Shell Nigeria Ultra Deep Limited, Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Company Ltd, Nigerian Agip Exploration Company Ltd, and Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
The company claimed that the reallocation was carried out through the OPL 245 Resolution Agreement reportedly executed around March 5.
Malabu further argued that the government acted without the consent or approval of the company’s directors, making the action unlawful and subject to judicial review.
The dispute over OPL 245 remains one of Nigeria’s most controversial oil block cases due to its long history of legal battles and international scrutiny involving ownership and allocation rights.
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