FG withdraws immigration suit against Seplat, Roger Brown

Seplat Energy Plc says the federal government has withdrawn its lawsuit filed against the company and Roger Brown, the firm’s chief executive officer (CEO); at a federal high court in Abuja, over an alleged breach of extant provisions of the Immigration Act, 2015.

On March 3, 2023, the federal government had revoked the visa, resident permit, and work permit of Brown, following allegations bordering on racism by aggrieved stakeholders of the company.

Brown subsequently stepped down from his position after an ex-parte order that stopped him from functioning as the CEO of the organisation.

In the suit, marked, FHC/AB/CR/149/2023, the defendants were accused of conspiring among themselves to allow Roger Brown accept employment as CEO at Seplat Energy Plc “without the consent of the comptroller-general of immigration”.

Giving updates on the lawsuit in a statement on Thursday, Basil Omiyi, Seplat’s board chairman, quoted the notice of withdrawal as saying all the proceedings in the charge were withdrawn.

“Seplat Energy is pleased to announce that it has become aware of the notice of withdrawal/discontinuance of the legal action that was previously instituted at the federal high court sitting in Abuja, by the Nigeria Immigration Service (acting for the federal government of Nigeria) against the company and some of its directors and officers,” the statement reads.

“The notice of withdrawal/discontinuance of the action dated 6 April 2023, was issued by the director of legal services at the Nigeria Immigration Service, and stated in part that ‘the claimant, hereby, discontinues all the proceedings in this charge against the above-named defendants’.

“The company continues to engage with the ministry of interior to bring closure to the false allegations presented to the ministry as a result of which the residency status of its chief executive officer was withdrawn.”

The statement also reiterated that a federal high court in Lagos had vacated the ex parte interim orders against Seplat, Brown, and Omiyi, “including the orders that restrained the chief executive officer, Mr. Roger Brown from participating in the running of the company”.