The Nation Newspaper

Tag: court order

  • Agip withdraws ARCO workers from facility despite court order

    Agip withdraws ARCO workers from facility despite court order

    There management of Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) Limited may have violated a Federal High Court’s order that the status quo be maintained in a matter between the company and its contractor, ARCO Group Plc.

    Agip reportedly terminated the contract and ordered ARCO’s workers out of its facilities in Obrikom (OBOB)/Ebocha/Kwale, all in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State.

    It was also learnt that the company transferred the contract to a foreign firm, Plantgeria Limited, despite the subsisting court order.

    In the suit, ARCO challenged the alleged wrongful transfer of its contract to Plantgeria Plc without due process and regard for Nigeria’s Local Content Act, 2010.

    Justice Lambo Akanbi of the Federal High Court, sitting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, at the last sitting on June 30, urged the parties to maintain the status quo, pending the determination of motion on jurisdiction raised by Agip.

    The matter has been slated for hearing in October and the order was reportedly served on the parties.

    But on July 7, Agip reportedly ignored the court order and withdrew ARCO’s workers from its (Agig’s) processing plant – the major work ARCO handles for Agip – and replaced them with Plantgeria workers.

    ARCO’s workers have been stranded since, although they have been reporting for duty.

    On July 28, the Federal High Court sent its Sheriff, Ayo Agboola, to appeal to Agip not to disrespect the court’s ruling but allow ARCO’s workers to continue their duties until the matter before it was concluded.

    Efforts to reach Agip’s officials for their reaction were unsuccessful last night.

     

     

  • ‘Samsung, others disobeyed court order in contract deal’

    Samsung Heavy Industry Nigeria Limited and Total Upstream Nigeria Ltd are still working on multi-million dollar contract for the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) unit in Egina Field within OML 130, despite an order that parties maintain the status quo.

    Mr Olukayode Enitan, counsel to the plaintiff John Owubokiri, told Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Lagos, at the resumed hearing that despite the order, Samsung Heavy and Total Upstream Nigeria were still constructing the project.

    Justice Abang said if Enitan was sure that the defendants flouted the order, he should take the necessary steps.

    Samsung Heavy is contending that the court cannot hear the case.

    The court adjourned till February 26 for hearing of all applications.

    Other defendants include the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF); National Petroleum Investment Management Services, NPIMS; Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board, CDMB; Samsung Heavy and Total Upstream.

  • Security agents shun court order to seize Sanusi’s passport

    Security agents shun court order to seize Sanusi’s passport

    Despite being shown a court order, security men at the weekend prevented  suspended Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi from traveling abroad.

    A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos had described as illegal and unconstitutional, Sanusi’s arrest at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos, after he was suspended from office by President Goodluck Jonathan. It ordered the return of his passport, which the security again seized at the weekend.

    He was stopped at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, in Kano on his way to France enroute Mecca, Saudi Arabia to perform the lesser Hajj.

    Sanusi’s passport was also reportedly seized by the men who said they were acting on instructions.

    Former FCT Minister Nasir El-Rufai criticised the Federal Government for the  seizure.

    El-Rufai said he was angry, helpless and ashamed of the government’s “sheer brainlessness”.

    He said: “My brother Sanusi Lamido Sanusi (SLS) has just been stopped at Kano Airport and prevented from travelling to Saudi Arabia for Lesser Hajj, violating his freedom of movement, religion and conscience.

    “These Jonathanians have no respect for the laws of the country and court judgment, yet they expect citizens to respect them and take them seriously.

    “They have failed to provide basic security. They dance and party when citizens are being bombed to death and our daughters being abducted by Boko Haram. They then insult our sensibilities by questioning whether over 200 girls have ever been kidnapped from Chibok, and then form a committee in search of someone to blame.

    “They are cowards who run into hiding with the hint of the slightest danger to their bodies or bank accounts. They block public roads they did not build to protect themselves and care less about the safety of the Nigerian citizen, but are quick to violate the rights of unarmed and law abiding citizens like SLS because he exposed them.

    “We hope that SLS’ lawyers will go back to the High Court and procure the arrest of those behind this latest violation of the ruling of the court.”

  • We’ll obey court order on Amaechi, says PDP

    We’ll obey court order on Amaechi, says PDP

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that it is ready to stay action on the ongoing trial of Governor Rotimi Amaechi by an 11-man Disciplinary Committee, if it gets a court order stopping the action.

    But, the Amaechi camp yesterday said it had served the party a court order restraining further action against the governor.

    A Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt on May 31 restrained the PDP from taking further action against Amaechi, pending the hearing of a substantive suit challenging his suspension from the party.

    Mr. Justice Emmanuel Ogbuji ordered the PDP to maintain the status quo on the matter.

    The National Publicity Secretary of PDP, who spoke with our correspondent, said: “ If there is a court order restricting us from going ahead with the disciplinary action against Governor Rotimi Amaechi, we will abide by it.

    “If a court order has been served on the party, I am not in a position to say; it is the responsibility of the National Legal Adviser. So far, no court order has been brought to our notice.”

    Responding to a question, Metuh said: “Well, the constitution of the PDP provides that within 30 days.

    “We would have taken care of the issues involved. We have referred the matter to the Disciplinary Committee. But, note that we are not out to send the governor out of the party. We want to assert the supremacy of the party by promoting discipline.”

    But a highly placed source in Amaechi’s camp said contrary to Metuh’s claim, the court order was served on the party on June 3 by a court bailiff, Abdulwahab Musa, at about 12.50pm.

    “The court order was received by a secretary at the PDP National Secretariat, the source said, pleading not to be named.

    “In any case, the High Court in Port Harcourt gave Amaechi other option of pasting the order on the wall of the National Secretariat of PDP or on the wall of Rivers PDP secretariat.

    “The order grants “leave to serve the 1st and 2nd defendants here in with the originating processes and orders made in this suit by substituted means to wit: by pasting on the wall of the 1st defendant(PDP Rivers State) and the wall of the 2nd defendant(PDP Secrtariat, Wadata Plaza, Abuja).”

    In spite of the service of the court order, the 11-man Disciplinary Committee has continued to meet in defiance of the court.