BREAKING: Decide dismisses GHL’s bid to serve cargo arrest ruling on Navy, NUPRC, others 

The corporate had sought to serve a earlier courtroom verdict—in regards to the arrest and detention of crude oil cargo aboard the FPSO Tamara Tokoni—on a number of events, together with First Financial institution of Nigeria Restricted, the Nigerian Navy, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Fee (NUPRC), the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Security Company (NIMASA), and the Harbour Grasp of the Nigerian Ports Authority.

Justice E.A. Obile dismissed GHL’s ex parte movement in opposition to First Financial institution of Nigeria (FBN) on Might 7, 2025.

This represents the most recent growth within the ongoing authorized battle between First Financial institution of Nigeria Restricted and Common Hydrocarbons Restricted over the arrest and detention of the cargo of crude oil on board FPSO Tamara Tokoni.

Authorized Improvement 

• The authorized staff of GHL, Dr. A. I. Layonu SAN and C.E. Owei, had on Might 2, 2025, filed a movement ex parte praying the courtroom to compel the Deputy Chief Registrar of the Federal Excessive Court docket, Port Harcourt, to serve the courtroom orders on the events to the swimsuit, together with the Nigerian Navy, NUPRC, NIMASA, and the Harbour Grasp of the NPA.
• Additionally they requested an order that the courtroom’s determination of April 29, 2025, dismissing FBN’s software for an injunction pending attraction, be served on the events to the swimsuit, together with the related authorities directed to help the Admiralty Marshal in imposing the order of arrest.
• GHL maintained that the Deputy Chief Registrar has failed and refused to serve the orders of courtroom.

What the Court docket Stated 

• Ruling on the matter, the choose held that, having thought of the submissions of the applicant’s counsel, the right order was to dismiss the appliance.

The choose subsequently ordered that the appliance be dismissed.

Backstory 

Nairametrics beforehand reported on March 26, 2025, {that a} Federal Excessive Court docket sitting in Port Harcourt had dismissed a swimsuit filed by First Financial institution of Nigeria (FBN) in opposition to GHL, briefly halting the financial institution’s efforts to cease what it described as a fraudulent try to get rid of crude oil aboard the FPSO Tamara Tokoni.

Within the ruling delivered by Justice E.A. Obile, the courtroom upheld a preliminary objection filed by GHL and dismissed the case in its entirety on the grounds that it lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter.

The choose dominated that the dispute between the 2 establishments was not a maritime declare however reasonably a debt restoration matter, and held that the swimsuit constituted an abuse of courtroom course of and a breach of a previous courtroom order.

Nonetheless, regardless of the courtroom’s ruling, First Financial institution insisted that the crude cargo remained below arrest and that it had taken steps to attraction the judgment.

In an announcement, the financial institution stated it filed a discover of attraction and can also be in search of an injunction to restrain GHL from tampering with the crude pending the decision of the attraction.

 “Whereas FirstBank holds the judiciary in excessive regard, we strongly disagree with the ruling, which we imagine represents a miscarriage of justice,” the financial institution stated.

FBN maintained that it stays dedicated to defending the pursuits of stakeholders and can relentlessly pursue justice in opposition to alleged mischievous debtors trying to control the authorized system to keep away from their monetary obligations.