Renowned oils firm Matrix Energy and its chief executive officer, Alhaji Abdulkadir Adisa Aliu, have approached a High Court of Justice of the Federal Capital Territory, seeking N20 billion over what they described as libellous allegations and publications against them.
In a suit, through their counsel, Dr Ahmed Raji, SAN, the claimants are praying the court for an order restraining two media houses, Business Days Media Limited and Cable Media and Publishing Limited, from further publishing libellous reports against them.
Also joined in the matter are the suit numbers CV/3718/2024 and CV/3719/2024, which are the authors of the reports, Olalekan Fakoyejo and Abubakar Ibrahim.
According to Dr Raji, Matrix Energy and Abdulkadir Adisa Aliu, who are 1st and 2nd claimants in the suit, the two media houses were said to have accused them of importing low grade fuel from Malta into the country.
The claimants are seeking N10bn each as damages from the two media companies and an additional N200 million each as the cost of filing the suit.
In the suit, BusinessDay was said to have reported the following through their media platforms: “From Russia to Malta: How Matrix Energy imports dirty petrol.
“Leaked documents and extensive interviews with sources have unveiled how Africa’s biggest oil-producing country has been importing substandard petroleum products from Malta, a country with no known oil refineries.
“The confidential files, obtained by BusinessDay, detailed a complex scheme involving the importation of low-quality petroleum petrol from Russia to Malta for blending before being shipped to Nigeria.
“One of the leaked documents suggests Matrix Energy, a company with both upstream and downstream operations, has been importing blended low-grade petroleum products with higher-quality fuel before distributing it to the Nigerian market.
“Findings further showed that Matrix Energy owns a 150 million litre capacity depot in Warri (Bluefin Depot), three old ships (Matrix Pride, Matrix Triumph, Matrix S.ILU), and about 600 trucks.
“They are very active in the import of Russian products through various blending locations,” a senior source involved in the shipping business told BusinessDay”.
On its Cable news, it was said to have reported, “REVEALED: Tinubu’s economic council member behind petrol imports from Malta, Russia. Nigeria was awash with news recently about the quantum leap in fuel imports from Malta after revelations by Aliko Dangote, chairman of Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
“In 2023, Nigeria’s petroleum importation from Malta surged significantly to $2.8 billion, compared to zero between 2017 and 2022, and a mere $13.32 million in 2016.
“Mele Kyari, the group chief executive officer (GCEO) of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPCL), immediately denied Dangote’s claim, saying he did not have interest in any plant in Malta. TheCable can now reveal the identity of one of the biggest importers via the tiny European country.”
The claimants, through their counsel, prayed the court for the following:
A declaration that the publication made by the defendants on the 17th day of August 2024 with the caption: “From Russia to Malta: How Matrix Energy imports dirty petrol through the 2nd defendant’s Newspaper “BusinessDay”, is false, malicious, libellous and defamatory of the claimants.
“An order of this honourable court compelling the Defendants to delete forthwith or cause to be deleted the libellous/defamatory words contained in their publication of 17th day of August, 2024, with the caption: “From Russia to Malta: How Matrix Energy imports dirty petrol” as published through the 2nd Defendant’s Newspaper “BusinessDay”.
“An order of this honourable court compelling the defendants to immediately and wholly retract the libellous/defamatory words contained in their publication of 17th day of August 2024 with the caption: “From Russia to Malta: How Matrix Energy imports dirty petrol” as published through the 2nd Defendant’s Newspaper “BusinessDay”, tender unreserved apology to the Claimants via the same Newspaper “BusinessDay” for the defamatory remarks contained in the said publication, and publish same apology in at least three major National Dailies of the Claimants’ choice.
“An order of this Honourable Court directing the Defendants to pay the Claimants the sum of N10,000,000,000.00 (Ten Billion Naira) only as damages, for the libellous/defamatory words contained in their publication of 17” day of August 2024 with the caption: “From Russia to Malta: How Matrix Energy imports dirty petrol” as published through the 2nd Defendant’s Newspaper “BusinessDay”.
“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, their servants, agents, or privies from further publishing libellous or any other defamatory words/stories about the claimants or from further inferring in any manner to the claimants’ reputation.
“The sum of N200, 000, 000.00 (two hundred million naira) only being the cost of litigation for this suit and which cost include professional fees of counsel engaged by the claimants, in consequence of the defamation of the claimants’ character by the Defendants as aforesaid.”
According to the claimants, the defendants, who are the authors of the above libellous publication, deliberately, carelessly, intentionally and maliciously authored the same in words reproduced above, knowing fully well that the words as authored and published by them to the whole world and as concerning the claimants meant in their natural and ordinary meaning in the estimation of all right-thinking persons in the society to be the following: That the 1st claimant is conniving with economic enemies of Nigeria to import adulterated, substandard/low-quality petroleum products into Nigeria.
“That the 1st claimant is engaging in an organised crime of storage, supply and distribution of adulterated and substandard petroleum products to unsuspecting members of the public who suffer frequent vehicle and equipment breakdowns as a result of such nefarious activities in which the 1st claimant takes active part.
“That even though the 1st claimant is a key private sector player in the Nigerian economy and boasts of being a major contributor to the country’s Gross Domestic Product, the 1st claimant is sabotaging the efforts of the Federal Government of Nigeria to stop the importation of petroleum products and revitalise the country’s local refineries.
“That the 1st claimant’s oil and gas and maritime operations are aimed at defrauding the Nigerian state for the corporate benefits of the 1st claimant.
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