A federal capital territory (FCT) high court has struck out a lawsuit brought against Gbenga Komolafe, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
Hamza Muazu, the presiding judge, on Friday, dismissed the case and imposed a N9 million cost against the registered trustees of Trust Field Empowerment Initiatives, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), for initiating what he described as a frivolous and incompetent suit.
In the suit marked FCT/HC/GAR/CV/128/2025, the NGO sought to compel the attorney-general of the federation (AGF) to prosecute Komolafe over allegations linked to the award of oil blocks and the fixing of signature bonuses.
The AGF and NUPRC were joined in the case as the first and third defendants, respectively.
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However, the three defendants challenged the court’s jurisdiction through preliminary objections, arguing that the case falls exclusively under the purview of the federal high court.
They cited section 251(1)(a)(n) of the 1999 Constitution, which grants the federal high court sole authority over civil matters involving federal revenue, mines, and minerals, including oil and gas.
The defendants, represented by Kehinde Ogunwumiju, Oladele Gbadeyan, and Chiesonu Okpoko, also prayed the court to award N100 million in damages against the claimant for bringing a suit they described as baseless, vexatious, and intended to harass the NUPRC CEO.
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Muazu upheld the defendants’ arguments, ruling that the FCT high court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter.
He struck out the case and awarded a cost of N3 million each to the AGF, NUPRC, and Komolafe against Trust Field Empowerment Initiatives.
