BUA resumes at Okpella mining site as court rules against police disruption

BUA Group says the federal high court sitting in Benin has ruled in its favour and restrained the police from interfering with its operation at Okpella mining sites in Okpella, Edo state.

In a statement signed by O’tega Ogra, its group head for corporate communications, BUA said it went to court in 2017 after the police disrupted its operations at the mining site at the behest of Dangote Industries and Dangote Cement.

According to the statement, the court ordered the respondents to steer clear of the mining sites or interfere in “any manner whatsoever with BUA’s operation of disputed mining lease sites”.

The inspector general of police, Edo state commissioner of police, Dangote Industries and Dangote Cement Plc were listed as first to fourth respondents.

“BUA wishes to inform its shareholders, employees, customers, regulators, host communities, security agencies and the general public that the federal high court, Benin, in a recent judgement, has made an order which upholds BUA’s fundamental right to peaceful possession of the mining sites in Obu, Okpella, Edo state,” the statement read.

“It would be recalled that BUA was legally operating its various mining sites in Obu-Okpella, Edo state before the above-named respondents abruptly disrupted our operations at three of those mines in 2017 during the pendency of two other matters. The first and second respondents at the behest of the third and fourth Respondents invaded and shut down the operations.

“We then approached the courts to enforce our fundamental rights to the property of the mines as well as our rights to continue operating from those mines. Whilst we were awaiting judgement, we continued to sustain our operations from our other numerous mines in that area unaffected by these actions.

“After a prolonged trial, which commenced in 2017, the court not only found that we have always been in possession of the mining sites but clearly found that the first and second respondents were used and allowed themselves to be used by the third and fourth respondents to invade and disrupt our operations in the affected and disputed mine sites during the pendency of two other matters between us and the third and fourth respondents.

“The court accordingly granted an order restraining the first first and second respondents (the police) as well as the third and fourth respondents (Dangote Industries & Dangote Cement Plc) from interfering in any manner whatsoever with BUA’s operation of disputed mining lease sites. The two other matters remain pending in court.”

BUA described the judgement as a “major step” towards the final ruling which it says would be a vindication of its rights as the legal holders of the Okpella mining leases.

It also said it has resumed operations at the Obu-Okpella mines as ordered by the court.