The family of the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha has dismissed the claim by the federal government that all Court Cases relating to ownership of the oil exploration company, Malabu Oil and Gas have been resolved.
The family dismissed the claim said to have been made by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, at a public function in Abuja.
In a protest letter against the claim written by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Reuben Okpanachi Atabo, the Abacha family issued a 14-day ultimatum to Lokpobiri to withdraw the alleged false claim or be slammed with contempt of court charges.
In the protest letter received at the AGF and Oil Minister’s offices on July 5, the Abacha family averred that the claim made at the opening session of the “Nigerian Oil and Gas Energy Week” by Lokpobiri was false, spurious, unfounded and an affront to the courts where several cases on ownership of Malabu Oil and Gas are still pending.
Lokpobiri was reported to have said the ongoing negotiations to end the disputes surrounding the Oil Mining License (OML 245) have been concluded and that the oil block will resume production in the national interest.
Malabu Oil and Gas Company belonging to the Abacha family was said to be the owner of the deepwater OML 245 oil block located in the southern Niger Delta but in 2001, the federal government under former President Olusegun Obasanjo revoked Malabu’s license to the oil block.
In 2006, Malabu challenged the revocation in court but the matter was settled out-of-court with the government under former President Umaru Yar’Adua.
Trouble, however, erupted in 2011 when Shell and Eni, two major oil companies reportedly acquired the 245 oil block for $1.3 billion from Malabu in a deal approved by the Nigerian government via transfer of rights from Malabu to Shell and ENI in exchange for consideration but without the knowledge of the Abacha family.

Ever since there have been a series of litigations in various Courts by the Abacha family to reclaim ownership of the rich oil block.
The protest letter by the senior lawyer to the Oil Minister read in part “We act as Solicitors to Malabu Oil and Gas Limited, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Abacha and Pecos Energy Ltd and on whose authority and firm instructions we write to you.
“Our Clients’ attention has been drawn to the remarks made by the Hon. Minister of State for Petroleum Resources at the opening session of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Energy Week to the effect that all legal issues relating to OPL 245 have been resolved and that the coast is clear for investors to come and invest in OML 245.
“At the said opening session, with the theme ‘Showcasing opportunities, driving investment, meeting demand’, the Minister stated thus; “I am happy to announce to you that we have resolved all the issues. We should be expecting investments in 10s of billions of dollars to create an atmosphere where we become globally competitive. Nigeria fiscals are globally competitive and those Companies that left over a year ago are coming back.”
“Sometime in 1998, Alhaji Mohammed Sani, Kweku Amafagha and Hassan Hindu co-founded Malabu Oil & Gas Limited as initial shareholders
“We wish to inform you that in 2011, there were resolution agreements between the Federal Government of Nigeria, Shell Nigeria Ultra-Deep and the Nigeria Agip Exploration on OPL 245, our Clients were not represented at the said Resolution Agreements rather Chief Dan Etete who was neither a Director nor Shareholder of Malabu Oil and Gas Limited purportedly represented the company.
“It was these Resolution Agreements that subsequently led to the sale of OPL 254 to Shell Exploration and Nigeria Agip Exploration Company Limited at the cost of $1.3 Billion US Dollars.
“Our Clients who did not participate nor benefit from the proceeds have maintained various actions in court.
“Sir, we also wish to state categorically on behalf of our Clients that there are various ongoing cases at different courts in Nigeria on OPL 245 and to this effect, we need to correct the impression that all legal issues have been resolved specifically, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/201/2017 between Malabu Oil and Gas and the federal government and others.
“We wish to inform you that the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has also maintained criminal charges against some persons in respect of the purported sale.
“We wish to most respectfully inform you that the controversy surrounding the Oil Prospecting Licence OPL 245 led to the setting up of the Ad-Hoc Committee of the House of Representatives to investigate Malabu Oil & Gas via –a-vis the potential economic value of OPL 245 to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“From the foregoing, it is evident that the remarks made by your esteemed self during the opening session of the Nigerian Energy Week are not only misleading but bereft of the factual situation on the ground.
“Furthermore, the said remarks is an affront on the authority of our Courts, having regard to the fact that the matter is sub judice before various courts in Nigeria.
“By Section 6 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), judicial powers in Nigeria are vested in our Courts who are meant to determine disputes between individuals and Government.
“Also, we are now in a democratic system of government where the Rule of Law prevails and not the Rule of force.
“From the various courts, it can be seen that the Federal Government of Nigeria is a party to the ongoing suits and therefore the said remarks made by your esteemed self, amount to writing judgment in your own favour notwithstanding the fact that you are a party to the suits.
“In view of the fact that the matters of OPL 245 are in Court, we do not need to go into further details to allow the Hon. Justices of the various courts to dispense justice.
“Take notice therefore that we are by this letter demanding that your esteemed self, issue a statement retracting your remarks made during the opening session of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Energy Week with the theme “Showcasing opportunities, driving investment, meeting demand.” which is in issue within 14 days from the receipt of this letter failure of which we shall take an action against you in a competent Court of Law without further recourse to our Clients.
“Accept the assurances of our highest esteem, “ the lawyer said.

Mr Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to urgently address the issue of high cost of food items in the country.
Oyintiloye in a chat with newsmen on Sunday in Osogbo, said that Nigerians were hungry and living below the poverty line.
The APC chieftain said that scores of Nigerians were disillusioned wondering where the next meal will come from due to the extreme economic hardship.
Oyintiloye also urged the president not to ignore the United Nations’ prediction that 82 million Nigerians, which is about 64 per cent of the country’s population, may go hungry by 2030.
He said that the National Bureau of Statistics(NBS) data revealed that the food inflation rate in the country hit a record high of 40.66 per cent in May, surpassing the previous month’s of 40.53 increase.
Oyintiloye, a former member of the defunct APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), said the common household food items were getting out of the reach of the common man due to the hike in prices.
The APC chieftain noted that despite the Nigerians working hard under different dehumanising working conditions, what they were earning was still not enough to support themselves and their families due to inflation.
According to him, despite the abundance in natural and human resources the country is blessed with, successive governments failed to drive the economy productively.
He said corruption and over dependency on the system of sharing crude oil revenue by the tiers of government was hindering them from running a productive and self-sufficient economy for the benefit of the masses.
Oyintiloye, a former lawmaker, who noted that there was no doubt that the president was doing everything possible to salvage the situation through various intervention programmes, said that the impacts of such interventions were far from ameliorating the situation.
He said prices of basic households, some food items such as rice, beans, garri, spaghetti, and host others were on a very high side and becoming unaffordable by the masses.
Oyintiloye noted that it was rather unfortunate that with all the efforts of the president, prices of food and other essentials had continued to be on the increase.
“I will want to urge the president to, as a matter of urgency, declare a state of emergency on hunger, starvation and poverty in the country.
“Hunger is a threat to national peace, and that is why the president must act very fast,” he said.
Oyintiloye also said that there was a need for the government to put in place the price control mechanism to checkmate the sharp practices by the traders in the market.
He said many of the traders were taking undue advantage of the economy to exploit buyers, adding that there was an urgent need to check their excesses.
Oyintiloye, however, urged the president to consider the reopening of the Benin Republic border for the importation of food to solve the problem of food crisis in the country.
He said the challenge of insecurity preventing farmers from going to their farms should be addressed, while subsidised farm inputs be given to them and good incentives be made available to agriculture to attract the younger ones.
Oyintiloye urged Nigerians to continue to support the president, adding that with all the various ongoing economic intervention programmes, the country would rise again.

The Police Command in Oyo State says it has discovered plots by members of a cult group to cause violence among rival groups in the state.
The command’s Spokesman, SP Adewale Osifeso, made the disclosure in a statement made available to newsmen on Sunday in Ibadan.
The Tide’s source reports that a cult group, popularly known as Aiye or Black Axe, usually celebrates its Day every July 7 and is usually characterised by violence.
“In its proactive nature, the command has intercepted credible intelligence about concluded plans by hoodlums/cultists to engage in wide-scale violence and retribution, especially among rival gangs in the state,” he said.
Osifeso said that the Commissioner of Police, Ayodele Sonubi, had warned the group to shelve such plans, as the command would vehemently resist any attempt at turning the state into their playground and scuttle the peace of the state.
“The police command, in collaboration with sister security agencies, will clamp down heavily on anyone involved at triggering needless episodes of retributions, bloodletting and destruction of lives and property,” he said.
Osifeso said that Sonubi had assured the people of the state of comprehensive security coverage, ranging from convoy patrols, intelligence-driven stop-and-search and purposeful surveillance of all critical infrastructure, public spaces and places of interest.
“To this end, parents, guardians and persons of influence are advised to caution their wards and protégés to refrain from any unlawful gathering or assembly with intent to breach the peace of the land.
“The state police command will arrest and prosecute violators,” he said.
The spokesman advised hoteliers, proprietors of lounges and other recreational facilities against consenting to the use of their facilities to aid cult-related activities, as owners of such facilities would be liable for prosecution.
He urged residents of the state to remain law-abiding and vigilant, and report any suspicious activity to the nearest police station or formation.
Osifeso also urged them to go about their businesses without any fear of harassment or intimidation from anyone.