Abacha asks court to declare him, firm genuine owners of Malabu

Mohammed, son of late military ruler Sani Abacha, on Monday asked a federal high court in Abuja to declare him and Pecos Energy Ltd as genuine owners of Malabu Oil and Gas Limited.

According to Vanguard, in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/ CS/506/2017, Abacha asked the court to declare illegal the alterations made to the first plaintiff’s (Malabu Oil and Gas Limited) document that changed the shareholding structure in 2010.

Some of the other reliefs, Abacha and Pecos Energy Ltd seek are: “A declaration that the 2nd and 3rd plaintiffs (Mohammed and Pencos Energy Ltd) have never divested themselves of their respective shoes in the equity of the 1st plaintiff and continue to be shareholders and Directors of the 1st plaintiff.

“A declaration that forms CAC 2 and 7 (Statement of Shares Capital and Return of Allotment of Shares) dated 9th June, 2010 prepared and filed by one Ayo Ademola purporting to transfer the 2nd plaintiff’s 10,000,000 shares in the equity of the 1st plaintiff to one Seidougha Munamuna (2nd defendant), the 6,000,000 shares of one Kweku Amafagha (1st defendant) to Amaran Joseph (3rd defendant) and Hindu’s 4,000,000 shares to the same Amaran Joseph is illegal, null and void same having been prepared and filled are without the consent, knowledge and authority of the 2nd and 3rd plaintiffs.”

Abacha and Pencos Energy Limited, while insisting that they are the real owners of Malabu, denied any wrongdoing in the controversial deal.

This is coming after Malabu Oil and Gas Limited had tried to join the suit challenging the forfeiture of OPL 245 and its return to the federal government from Shell Nigeria and Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited.

On January 26, OPL 245 was returned to the federal government following a motion by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) who had prayed the court that it be returned pending an investigation into the Malabu oil block deal.

However, Shell and ENI challenged the forfeiture and on Friday, the court ordered that OPL 245 should be given back to the oil companies.

OPL 245 was first awarded to Malabu Oil and Gas Limited in 1998 and was later sold to Shell and ENI.