Minister of Petroleum defeats oilfield allocation claims in Hi Rev Oil & Gas Limited v. Hon Minister of Petroleum Resources

In Hi Rev Oil & Gas Limited v. Hon Minister of Petroleum Resources, the Federal High Court struck out claims seeking judicial allocation of oilfields across Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom States, affirming the statutory framework under the Petroleum Industry Act

The case, which centred on claims by the Plaintiffs seeking judicial orders compelling the allocation of specific oilfields across Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers States, raised significant questions regarding the scope of judicial intervention in Nigeria’s petroleum licensing framework. The reliefs sought effectively invited the Court to override the statutory allocation regime under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and confer field-specific rights on the Plaintiffs.

Acting for the Minister, it was argued that the Plaintiffs’ pleadings disclosed no reasonable cause of action, as no legally enforceable rights in the disputed oilfields had been established. Second, it was contended that the action was fatally defective for failure to comply with the mandatory pre-action notice requirements under Section 308 of the PIA.

In its ruling delivered on 20 April 2026, the Court upheld both objections, finding that the Plaintiffs had not demonstrated any accrued legal rights capable of enforcement and that the purported pre-action notice failed to meet statutory requirements. The Court accordingly declined jurisdiction and struck out the suit in its entirety, without proceeding to trial.

Advisory Team: MJ Numa & Partners LLP

M.J. Numa SAN

B.J. Tabai

Emmanuel C. Sogo

Queen M. Jim-Ogbolo