The family of late Nigerian Head of State, General Sani Abacha, has refuted recent assertions by the federal government regarding the resolution of legal disputes over Malabu Oil and Gas' ownership of Oil Mining License (OML) 245.
In response to statements allegedly made by Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, the Abacha family issued a protest through their legal representative, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Reuben Okpanachi Atabo.
The family has given a 14-day ultimatum to Minister Lokpobiri to retract his purportedly false claims or face contempt of court charges.
They assert that ongoing court cases concerning OML 245 remain unresolved, despite the minister's declaration during the Nigerian Oil and Gas Energy Week that all issues had been settled to attract new investments.
Malabu Oil and Gas, co-founded by Alhaji Mohammed Sani Abacha among others, claims ownership of OML 245, which was allegedly transferred to Shell and Eni in 2011 without their knowledge.
The family contends that Chief Dan Etete, not a director or shareholder of Malabu, represented the company during the agreements leading to the $1.3 billion sale.
The protest letter emphasizes the existence of multiple unresolved court cases involving Malabu Oil and Gas, challenging Lokpobiri's statement as misleading and disrespectful to judicial processes.
According to Daily Post, it warns of legal action if the minister fails to retract his remarks within the stipulated timeframe.