The Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Abuja has thrown out a $19.6 million lawsuit brought against the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), describing the case as unsubstantiated and lacking legal merit.
Delivering judgment, the court found that the claimant did not provide adequate evidence to justify the demand for the alleged sum. On that basis, it ruled in favour of NNPC Ltd and dismissed the suit in its entirety.
The dispute originated from a contractual disagreement over professional fees said to be connected to a Direct Sale, Direct Purchase (DSDP) arrangement. The claimant had argued that the agreement was later widened through informal or oral understandings.
However, the court maintained that written agreements are legally binding and cannot be modified or expanded by verbal claims or implied conduct unless such changes are formally documented and mutually endorsed by all parties.
Reaffirming the principle of contractual sanctity, the court stressed that any alteration to a contract must be clearly recorded and agreed upon in writing.
With the ruling, NNPC Ltd has been cleared of any liability in the $19.6 million claim, effectively bringing the long-running dispute to a close.