Leadership of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASAN), Nigeria National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPCL), Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum (NDMP), as well as the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) have all been evading the service of the court order restraining them from embarking on their planned industrial action against Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE.

A senior advocate of Nigeria, George Ibrahim, from the Ogwu James Onoja Law Firm in Abuja, argued the application and secured the restraining order against the defendants on Monday.

Justice Emmanuel Danjuma Subilim held that the balance of convenience was in favour of the applicant, as the continuation of the strike would irreparably damage its business and cripple the provision of essential services to the Nigerian public.

He held that it was in the interest of justice for the court to restrain the defendants to preserve the industrial peace and aid the continuous provision of essential services to the Nigerian public, pending the determination of the substantive suit.

Consequently, the court ordered the service of the restraining order and motion on notice on the defendants.

However, lead counsel to Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE, James Onoja (SAN), stated that all efforts to serve the court order on the defendants proved abortive, as they claimed to be on strike.

The court specifically barred the defendants from cutting crude and gas supply to Dangote Refinery.

The court order also restrained the defendants from embarking on any industrial action against the claimant with a view to crippling, blocking roads, or obstructing the flow of vehicular movement; shutting down operations of the claimant or licences of the second to fourth defendants named in the first defendant’s directives dated September 26, 2025; or by any means frustrating the businesses/activities of the claimant/applicant, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.