Headline

Senate Kicks As Oil Firm Slams It With N10 billion Lawsuit

Published

4 years ago

December 8, 2021

The Senate has been sued for N10 billion by Halkin Exploration and Production Limited for investigating a dispute the company had with another oil firm, Hardy Oil Nigeria Limited.

The disputing companies had a petition laid before the upper legislative Chambers which had been referred to the Senate Committee on Public Petitions, Ethics and Privileges chaired by Senator Ayo Akinyelure.

Both companies had laid claims to owning Atala Marginal Oil Field (OML 46), worth $60 million but at the rescheduled Committee hearing on Tuesday, Halkin Exploration and Production Limited sought for the panel’s discontinuation of hearing and announced that the Senate has been sued for N10 billion for daring to investigate the matter.

Angered by the development, the Committee insisted that it had powers in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to investigate, threatening that the Managing Director of Halkin must appear before it at the adjourned date.

Hardy Oil had in a petition filed against Halkin to the Senate, alleged that Atala Marginal Field ( OML 46) hitherto owned by it, was fraudulently sold to Halkin by the now-scrapped Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR).

The Committee expressed surprise that the two disputing oil firms at the beginning of the investigative hearing made themselves available for investigation through their representatives in October, only for Halkin to slam the committee with a N10 billion suit, asking for discontinuation.

The Committee Chairman said his office received a letter from a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), M.A Mahmud on the order of Halkin Exploration and Production Limited, stating that they have gone to Court.

He said: “The SAN in the letter, informed us that the Senate had been sued for the sum of N10 billion and that all issues relating to the oil well, are to be handled by the court of law.

“This to us is unacceptable because none of the disputing parties was in court before the petition was received by us upon which investigation commenced with the attendance of the two parties.

Senator Akinyelure reminded the panellists of Halkin’s letter dated 12th October 2021 of their intention to appear before the Senate Committee with documents to support their ownership claims, wondering what was responsible for the afterthought.

“Mr Odogu must appear at our next sitting failure of which, warrants of arrest would be issued on him because nobody can stop the Senate from carrying out investigation brought before it as empowered by section 88 of the 1999 Constitution.

“The Clerk of this committee will write the Halkin’s MD for a rescheduled appearance which must be honoured”, he said.

Other members of the Committee, Senators James Manager, Uche Ekwunife, Smart Adeyemi, Sam Egwu, vowed to ensure the continuation of the investigation at the next sitting.

(DAILY POST)

Headline

12 Die, 30 Missing In Peru Landslide

Published

16 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Editor

At least 12 people, including three children, died in a landslide at a river port in central Peru on Monday, and 30 were reported missing, officials said.

The landslide submerged a boat with about 50 passengers on board, and another with none, as they were docked at the port of Iparia in the Amazon jungle region of Ucayali, according to a police report cited by the Andina news agency.

Six people were injured, it added, and a search and rescue operation was underway at the start of the Peruvian rainy season.

Without giving a toll, Peru’s COEN national emergency operations centre said on X that tragedy struck at dawn due to “erosion” of the bank of the Ucayali river.

It said the navy has been called in to help.

AFP

Headline

Nigeria Grants Asylum To Guinea-Bissau Opposition Candidate

Published

16 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian embassy in Guinea-Bissau has granted asylum to Fernando Dias da Costa, the country’s opposition presidential candidate, following alleged threats to his life after last week’s military coup, The Cable Reports.

The coup was announced by military officers on Wednesday, just days after Guinea-Bissau’s presidential election in which both incumbent President Umaro Embaló and his main challenger, da Costa, claimed victory before official results were released.

Nigeria condemned the takeover and urged an immediate return to constitutional order.

In a letter to the President of the Economic Community of West African States Commission, Omar Touray, dated November 30, the Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, said President Bola Tinubu had approved asylum and protection for da Costa inside the Nigerian embassy in Bissau.

Tuggar wrote that the decision was made “in response to threats made against da Costa’s life.”

“In this regard, it would be appreciated if you would kindly mandate the ECOWAS Stabilisation Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau to provide him protection and security while in the premises of the Nigerian embassy,” the letter stated.

The foreign affairs minister’s Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy, Alkasim Abdulkadir, confirmed the letter’s authenticity to The Cable on Monday.

He said, “The decision of the Federal Government of Nigeria to grant asylum and provide protection to Fernando Dia Da Costa falls squarely within Nigeria’s sovereign responsibility and longstanding commitment to regional peace, stability, and democratic governance.”

He added that Nigeria acted “in the broader interest of de-escalation,” saying the government had exercised its discretion “to prevent further deterioration of tensions and to promote social cohesion in Guinea-Bissau and the wider West African sub-region.”

According to Abdulkadir, the intervention aligns with ECOWAS principles and reflects Nigeria’s role as a stabilising force in West Africa.

Following the coup, ECOWAS held an emergency virtual summit of heads of state and subsequently suspended Guinea-Bissau from the regional bloc until constitutional order is restored.

Headline

Trump To Attend FIFA World Cup Finals Draw On Friday

Published

16 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Editor

The White House on Monday confirmed US President Donald Trump would attend the draw for the FIFA World Cup finals in Washington later this week.

The United States will co-host the 2026 tournament alongside Canada and Mexico.

“On Friday, President Trump will attend the FIFA World Cup final draw at the Kennedy Centre,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

Trump has made the World Cup a centrepiece event of both his second presidency and the 250th anniversary of US independence next year.

But the giant sporting extravaganza has not escaped the political turmoil caused by Trump’s hardline stance on a host of issues.

Trump, a Republican, has raised the possibility of moving games from some US host cities amid a crackdown on what he says is crime and illegal migration in some Democratic-run areas.

AFP