Business
Court Rejects El-Rufai’s Bail Application on Medical Grounds
BY SUNDAY SAMUEL—The High Court of Kaduna State has again dismissed an application for bail filed by the former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, in the ongoing criminal proceedings instituted against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Honourable Justice D. H. Khobo delivered a considered ruling on 29th June 2026 on the defendant’s third application for bail, this time on medical grounds.
A central issue considered by the Court was the medical report relied upon by Mallam El-Rufai in support of his application.
The report, annexed to the application as Exhibit “A” and purportedly issued by the National Hospital, Abuja, claimed that the former Governor had been diagnosed with an advanced metastatic prostate cancer requiring a specialised treatment said to be unavailable anywhere in Nigeria.
In opposing the application, the ICPC presented documentary evidence from the Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital, Abuja, Professor Muhammad Raji Mahmud, disclaiming the document relied upon by the defendant.
According to the document from the National Hospital issued by the Chief Medical Director, a comprehensive search of the hospital’s electronic medical records and patient indexes revealed no hospital number, patient file, billing record, consultation history, or any evidence that the defendant had ever been treated at the facility.
The hospital further confirmed that the report was issued without the knowledge or authorisation of its management.
Relying on this evidence, the Court held that the credibility and reliability of the medical report had been fundamentally undermined, and that a document formally disowned by the very institution on whose letterhead it was issued could not serve as the foundation for the exceptional relief sought by the applicant.
With the collapse of that evidentiary foundation, the Court found no reliable and institutionally validated material facts to justify the exercise of judicial discretion in favour of bail on health grounds.
In refusing the application, the Court also ordered that the Commission shall continue to provide the defendant with unrestricted access to his personal medical physicians and shall ensure that he is escorted to any specialised diagnostic or clinical facility of his choice within Nigeria as required, throughout the pendency of the trial.
The Commission notes that this order is consistent with its existing practice and reaffirms its commitment to full compliance.
The ICPC welcomes the Court’s ruling as a reaffirmation of the principle that applications for bail on medical grounds must be supported by credible and verifiable evidence and determined strictly in accordance with the law.
The Commission remains committed to conducting all investigations and prosecutions with professionalism, fairness and respect for the rule of law, while ensuring that every person brought before the courts is accorded all rights guaranteed under the Constitution and other applicable laws.
The post Court Rejects El-Rufai’s Bail Application on Medical Grounds appeared first on Business Today NG.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to continue issuing and renewing petroleum products import licences to three major oil marketers, ruling that the regulator’s refusal to do so violates the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
Justice Inyang Ekwo delivered the judgement on Monday. The judge reportedly ruled that the authority’s refusal to grant or renew import licences for Matrix Energy, AA Rano and AYM Shafa was in “direct non-compliance” with the PIA, Nairametrics reported.
It said the judge specifically directed the regulator to continue granting, issuing, extending, renewing or reissuing licences, permits and authorisations for midstream and downstream petroleum operations, particularly the importation of petroleum products, once the companies meet all statutory and regulatory requirements.
The judgement followed a suit filed in June by the three oil marketers challenging the NMDPRA’s refusal to regularly issue or renew their petroleum products import licences.
The companies, through their lawyers, Raji Ahmed, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, and Chris Ekemezie, argued that the PIA does not prohibit the importation of petroleum products into Nigeria or prevent the regulator from issuing licences to eligible importers.
The Court rulings
Delivering judgement on Monday, Mr Ekwo held that the NMDPRA’s refusal to issue and renew the licences was inconsistent with the provisions of the PIA and that the authority had acted beyond the limits of the law.
He ruled that any exercise of regulatory powers relating to import licences in violation of the PIA and other relevant laws was “null and void”.
The judge also held that the plaintiffs had successfully established their claims against the regulator.
In a key part of the judgment, the court declared that Sections 31, 32 and other relevant provisions of the PIA, read alongside Section 72 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, mandate the NMDPRA to promote competition in the midstream and downstream petroleum sectors.
The provisions also require the regulator to prevent the abuse of dominant market positions and restrictive business practices.
The court further declared that the three oil marketers were entitled to the issuance, extension or renewal of their import licences upon fulfilling the conditions stipulated by the NMDPRA.
The judge, however, clarified that the authority retains exclusive regulatory powers to grant, modify, extend, renew, suspend, cancel or terminate licences and permits for midstream and downstream petroleum operations.
Why the oil marketers went to court
In an affidavit filed on 26 June in support of the suit, Sabiu Saidu Mahuta, executive director of AA Rano Nigeria Limited, said the NMDPRA had, since July 2025, issued, extended or renewed import licences for the three companies only sporadically rather than regularly.
He argued that the regulator’s actions and inactions were entrenching market dominance and monopolisation of the downstream petroleum sector by local refineries.
Mr Mahuta also said the three companies had collectively invested more than $20 billion in infrastructure, logistics and retail networks to support their petroleum businesses.
“Collectively, the plaintiffs have invested more than $20,000,000,000 [Twenty Billion United States of America Dollars] in infrastructure, logistics and retail networks for the smooth operations of their licensed petroleum products businesses,” he stated.
The companies argued that allowing petroleum imports alongside local refining would promote competition, prevent monopolistic practices and price-fixing, and improve the overall performance of Nigeria’s midstream and downstream petroleum sectors.
Their lawyer, Mr Raji, urged the court to affirm the legality of petroleum products imports and the regulator’s obligation to issue licences to eligible operators.
Dangote Refinery’s legal suits
The judgement comes amid an ongoing legal dispute over the issuance of petrol import licences in Nigeria, particularly following the expansion of domestic refining capacity by the Dangote Refinery.
Dangote Refinery has argued in a separate suit that the continued issuance of petroleum products import licences contravenes Nigerian law, which it maintains permits imports only when local refineries cannot meet domestic demand.
The refinery recently filed a fresh N100 billion suit against the Attorney-General of the Federation at the Federal High Court in Lagos over the continued issuance of import licences.
Matrix Energy, AA Rano and AYM Shafa have also applied to join that suit.
The case remains pending before the court.
The latest ruling in Abuja, however, addresses the three oil marketers’ rights to obtain import licences from the NMDPRA, provided they meet the applicable statutory and regulatory conditions.
Nigeria’s changing petrol supply dynamics
The legal dispute comes as Nigeria’s petroleum supply landscape continues to change following increased output from domestic refineries.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that NMDPRA data published last week showed that petrol imports declined sharply in the first quarter of 2026, while supplies from local refineries rose to about 3.18 billion litres.
The statistical presentation of the report showed that crude oil receipts by domestic refineries increased to 683,000 barrels per day (bpd) in August from 585,000 bpd in July, representing a 17 per cent increase.
The increase became profound as domestic petrol receipts rose significantly while reliance on imported petrol declined.
According to the data, average daily Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) receipts increased by 11 per cent, from 45.5 million litres per day in July to 50.5 million litres per day in August.
The report indicated that domestic PMS receipts accounted for most of the increase, rising by 39 per cent, from 25.8 million litres per day to 35.9 million litres per day.
In contrast, PMS imports fell by 26 per cent, from 19.7 million litres per day in July to 14.6 million litres per day in August.
The growth in domestic refining has intensified discussions about the role of fuel imports, market competition, and the regulatory conditions governing the supply of petroleum products.
READ ALSO: Dangote refinery drove Nigeria’s petrol supply in August as NNPC refineries remain shut — Report
Meanwhile, PREMIUM TIMES reported last week that NMDPRS approved petrol import permits covering about 830,000 metric tonnes for multiple companies ahead of the fourth quarter of 2026.
George Ene-Ita, spokesperson for the authority, confirmed the development to PREMIUM TIMES last Tuesday.
“Yes, petrol import permits were approved for Q4 2026 to ensure no supply gaps are heading into the critical end-of-year period,” Mr Ene-Ita said.
Companies reportedly granted the permits include Matrix Energy, A.A. Rano, AYM Shafa, NIPCO, Pinnacle Oil and Bono Energy.
The approvals were reportedly issued on 18 September, although details of the individual allocations to the marketers are still sketchy. A request for details from PREMIUM TIMES, sent via email to the authority last week, was acknowledged, but has yet to be received.
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