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Dangote, BUA’s Fight Get Messier over Mining Right
There seems to be no end in sight in the crisis between the managements of Dangote Group and BUA Group over the mining rights in Edo State, according to New Telegraph.
The management of Dangote Industries Limited has, again, vehemently accused BUA Group of making untrue assertions against it. Dangote said that BUA was being dubious in claiming to be the rightful owner of Mining Lease No 2541.
The two companies, who had, on Wednesday, agreed to wait for a judicial outcome rather than resorting to self-help and/or using influence and agencies of government in disrupting operations at disputed mining areas in Edo State, yesterday, resumed the media war and continued to throw tirades at each other.
While Dangote, in a statement made available revealed that its reaction became very necessary as a result of its status as a publicly quoted company and to further re-assure its shareholders, the regulators and members of the public that the company was and remained a responsible corporate citizen, BUA said it was worried by Dangote Group’s penchant for seeking to further its the cycle of misinformation over the dispute through falsehoods and bigger lies.
Dangote is owned by Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote while BUA is owned by billionaire, Alhaji Abdusamad Rabiu.
Alhaji Abdusamad Rabiu.
The Federal Government had, on Tuesday, ordered the shutdown of the mining site over the crisis. Faulting BUA’s claim that the Dangote Group was trying to monopolize the cement business in the country, Dangote said that BUA has willfully, deliberately and mischievously concealed the fact that it has at least 12 Mining/ Quarry Leases within and around the area in question as opposed to this sole Mining Lease No 2541 owned by the Dangote Group.
Dangote said: “First and foremost, there is no Status Quo Order made by any court that allows BUA to continue mining over the disputed mining lease area.
In fact, there is no status quo order at all. It is critical for us to point out that there is currently pending, a Motion for Interlocutory Injunction dated 27 April 2016, seeking to restrain the BUA Group from continuing with its illegal mining activities on the Mining Lease Area.
But in spite of having been served with this application and contrary to all tenets of the law which forbid a party served with an Interlocutory Injunction Motion from taking any step in respect of the subject matter of the suit, the BUA Group has, in utter disdain to the court, continued with its illegal mining activities.” Dangote said BUA applied for a Mining Lease over the same area in 2013, but the application was rejected by the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel on the sole ground that it overlaps ML. 2541, which, at the time, belonged to AICO. “If BUA had title that dates back to 1998, is there any conceivable reason why it will apply for the same title over the same area in 2013?” the statement queried.
Dangote added: “It is misleading for BUA to falsely accuse Dangote of undermining its operations and attempting to create a monopoly in the cement industry in Nigeria, as we have always coexisted peacefully with other competitors in Obajana and Ibese.”
The claim by BUA that it has always been in possession of the disputed mining lease was also faulted by Dangote Group, as it affirmed that the Group “…has been the one in possession of the Mining Lease since 2016 and this was recently confirmed by the Kogi State High Court’s judgement delivered on 27 October 2017 in Charge No. HCL/65C/2017: State v. Joshua Oghene, Hon. Haruna Afegbua and Bulus Golit which sentenced the Chief Security Officer of BUA Group, Mr. Bulus Golit to one year imprisonment without any option of fine, for attacking Dangote Group’s officials and workers in the Mining Lease No. 2541.
“The imprisonment of BUA’s Chief Security Officer, amongst other things, has confirmed that the claim by the BUA Group that it has been in possession is totally fallacious.” But in a reaction, BUA noted that it viewed attempts by the Dangote Group to play to the gallery in the dispute over the Mining Areas covered by Mining Leases ML18912 and ML18913. In a statement released by its management, the company said that it has never laid claim to ML2541 “as our operations covered by ML18912 and ML18913 are in Obu, Okpella, Edo State and not Okene, Kogi State, where Dangote’s license 2541 is sited.”
“As Dangote has asserted, BUA’s licenses for ML18912 and 18913 were issued in 1997 and their ML2541 issued in 2016 (AICO, his predecessorin- title, claims to have received his in 2008). How can they then claim to be in possession when even their predecessor-in-title, AICO, was issued his license 10 years after BUA’s licences were issued and two years after the completion and commencement of production at our over $1 billion Obu Cement Factory? “In any event, AICO had instituted a suit at the Federal High Court, Lokoja claiming to assert his title to ML2541. Whilst that was pending, AICO, against all known principles of law, transferred his title to Dangote.
It is also worthy of note that Dangote further applied to the courts to assert his rights to ML2541. How can a party who claims to be in possession ask the courts to assert his rights to his licence? “It should also be noted that this is asides the notorious fact that our licence was initially issued in 1976 to Bendel Cement Company, one of our predecessors- in-title. “With reference to Dangote’s claims that we applied for a lease in 2013, to our knowledge, we are not aware of any application of this sort. In any event, it is common knowledge that participants in the mining industry continuously apply for mining rights on a regular basis and if/when we were made aware of such, we discontinued such a process.
“To further buttress our point, the Nigerian Boundary Commission’s report of 2006 clearly states that Obu, Okpella is in Edo State and not Kogi State. Even as recent as July 2017, the ministry confirmed, through a letter to BUA, our right to possession of licences ML18912 and ML18913 up till 2017.
“Isn’t it rather strange that Dangote who claims to have acquired Mining Lease 2541 from AICO in 2015, now seeks to interfere with BUA’s mining rights in ML 18912 and ML 18913 in Obu, Okpella in Edo State? It is also instructive to state that Dangote has, on several occasions, attempted to obtain injunctive reliefs from the Federal High Court, Benin, Edo State, in the course of the pending litigation, but the court declined making such injunctive Orders because whilst Dangote claims right to Mining Lease 2541 located in Okene, Kogi State, BUA claims right to Mining Leases 18912 and 18913 located in Obu, Okpella, Edo State. “Dangote has now resorted to using other means to achieve what it could not legally achieve in a court proceeding before a court of competent jurisdiction.”
Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has called for radical and urgent interventions to curb the rising wave of sophisticated digital examination fraud in Nigeria.
JAMB warned that the trend can cause long-term damage to the country’s education system.
Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, JAMB Registrar, made this call during a recent event in Abuja, as reported in the JAMB Bulletin published Monday.
Oloyede described the evolving tactics employed by fraudsters during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) as “worrisome, highly sophisticated, and capable of jeopardising national development.”
“Malpractice is not only compromising learning and research, it is endangering our collective future,” Oloyede warned.
“There is an urgent need for decisive action on these new and disturbing developments. The public must not treat this menace with levity.”
He lamented that instead of addressing the growing problem, “some people are dissipating their energies on spreading unhelpful conspiracy theories and hatred, while our future is being jeopardised by a new crop of sophisticated digital fraudsters.”
The registrar detailed how high-level examination malpractices were uncovered during the 2025 UTME, leading to the withdrawal of some results and the arrest of several culprits nationwide.
According to him, JAMB discovered that certain Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres and school proprietors had colluded with hackers to gain remote access to candidates’ systems and submit pre-programmed answers to local servers at compromised centres.
Oloyede also highlighted the use of AI-enabled photo blending to impersonate candidates, noting that many of the impersonators were current undergraduates. Other fraudulent tactics included:
He said they also include registration with combined fingerprints through the combination of fingerprints from multiple persons for a single candidate’s registration.
He cited the extension of local area networks from some dubious centres to remote “strong rooms” as well as the pairing of candidates with professional mercenaries to gain access to the examination hall.
He revealed that over 3,000 candidates have been identified as either accomplices or beneficiaries of these crimes, stressing that many of them are university students already enrolled in institutions.
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited over its failure to account for the alleged missing ₦500 billion, which the company reportedly failed to remit to the Federation Account between October and December 2024.
SERAP’s legal action comes after allegations made by the World Bank, which revealed that out of the ₦1.1 trillion generated from crude sales and other income sources in 2024, NNPC only remitted ₦600 billion.
This left a deficit of ₦500 billion, which remains unaccounted for.
According to the lawsuit filed at the Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday, the organisation is demanding that NNPC explain the whereabouts of this missing amount.
The suit, number FHC/L/MSC/553/2025, seeks to compel NNPC to account for the missing funds.
In the legal documents, SERAP is asking for an order of mandamus to direct NNPC to account for the alleged missing ₦500 billion.
The organisation also wants the court to instruct NNPC to invite appropriate anti-corruption agencies to investigate the spending and whereabouts of the funds.
Furthermore, SERAP requests that those responsible for the missing money be identified, held accountable, and handed to relevant authorities for investigation and prosecution.
The lawsuit follows NNPC’s response to SERAP’s Freedom of Information (FoI) request, where the company argued that the FoI Act does not apply to it.
NNPC’s lawyers, Afe Babalola and Co, claimed that the company is exempt from the FoI Act.
SERAP, however, argues that the NNPC must comply with the Nigerian Constitution and the Freedom of Information Act, along with international human rights and anti-corruption standards, in exercising its statutory functions.
In the suit, SERAP emphasizes that the missing funds have significantly contributed to Nigeria’s economic instability, including the country’s high deficit spending and crippling debt crisis.
The organisation argues that the NNPC’s failure to remit these funds has worsened an already precarious economic situation.
SERAP also stresses that the missing oil revenues reflect a broader failure in NNPC’s accountability and transparency. The organisation highlights that the company’s continuing disregard for these principles damages the country’s economic well-being and governance systems.
The lawsuit also references a recent Supreme Court ruling, which declared that the Freedom of Information Act applies to public records in the Federation, including those kept by NNPC. SERAP calls on the court to enforce the application of this ruling in the case at hand.
The suit filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare, Ms Oluwakemi Oni, and Ms Valentina Adegoke, read in part, “Nigerians continue to bear the brunt of these missing public funds from the NNPCL meant for the economic development of the country.”
“There is a legitimate public interest in providing the details sought. The NNPC has a legal responsibility to account for and explain the whereabouts of the missing oil money.”
“The country’s oil wealth ought to be used solely for the benefit of the Nigerian people, and for the sake of the present and future generations.”
“Without the full recovery and remittance of the missing ₦500 billion oil revenues, the dire economic situation may worsen and Nigerians will continue to be denied access to basic public goods and services.”
“Nigerians have the right to know why the NNPCL failed to remit the subsidy removal savings to the Federation Account, and why the NNPCL is deliberately denying states and local governments their allocations from the Account, contrary to the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution.”
“The failure by the NNPCL to remit the money to the Federation Account is a grave violation of the public trust and the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution, national anticorruption laws, and the country’s anticorruption obligations.”
“Despite the country’s enormous oil wealth, ordinary Nigerians have derived minimal benefit from oil money primarily because of widespread grand corruption, and the entrenched culture of impunity of perpetrators.”
“Combating the corruption epidemic in the oil sector would alleviate poverty, improve access of Nigerians to basic public goods and services, and enhance the ability of the government to meet its human rights and anti-corruption obligations.”
“The Nigerian Constitution, Freedom of Information Act, and the country’s anti-corruption and human rights obligations rest on the principle that citizens should have access to information regarding the spending of their commonwealth.”
“The Auditor-General of the Federation and Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) have for many years documented reports of disappearance of oil money from the NNPCL.”
“The World Bank recently disclosed that out of the N1.1tn revenue from crude sales and other income in 2024, the NNPCL only remitted N600bn, leaving a deficit of ₦500bn unaccounted for.”
“The revenue and other income were expected to be paid into the Federation Account and shared by all levels of government but the NNPCL reportedly failed to do so.”
“SERAP notes that Section 15(5) of the Nigerian Constitution requires public institutions to abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power.”
“Section 13 of the Nigerian Constitution imposes clear responsibility on the NNPCL to conform to, observe and apply the provisions of Chapter 2 of the Constitution.”
“Nigeria has made legally binding commitments under the UN Convention against Corruption to ensure accountability in the management of public resources. Articles 5 and 9 of the UN Convention against Corruption also impose legal obligations on the NNPCL to ensure proper management of public affairs and public funds.”
“These commitments ought to be fully upheld and respected.”
“The missing oil revenue has also impeded Nigerians’ ability to enjoy their economic and social rights, and denied them access to essential public goods and services, especially at the time of the cost of living crisis in the country.”
“Had the NNPCL accounted for and remitted the alleged missing ₦500 billion to the Federation Account, it is likely that more funds would have been allocated to the fulfilment of economic and social rights, such as increased spending on public goods and services.”
“The Freedom of Information Act, Section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution, article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights guarantee to everyone the right to information on the whereabouts of the missing ₦500 billion of oil revenue.”
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
The leadership of Computer Village, Ikeja, has begun a biometric registration and enumeration exercise to sanitise the market, curb criminal activity, and restore investor confidence.
In a statement, Abisola Azeez, Iyaloja, described the initiative as part of a broader rebranding effort to address issues like phone snatching, fraudulent technicians, and substandard goods.
It stated, “The market’s leadership announced the move after a recent security incident led the Lagos State Task Force to consider a complete shutdown. However, market representatives intervened to safeguard legitimate traders. Under the new rules, only registered vendors with ID cards displayed at their stalls will be allowed to operate.
Approved street setups will be limited to plastic chairs, show glasses, and umbrellas, while wooden structures and open flames are banned to reduce fire hazards.”
Adeniyi Olasoji, baba Oja, noted the market’s damaged image, emphasising new security measures like CCTV, emergency alert systems, and increased collaboration with law enforcement.
“Other leaders, including Prince Tony Nwakeze, Ralph Chibuzor, Ben Onuorah, Nofiu Akinsanya, and Ikani Tony, affirmed the move as essential for transforming Computer Village into a structured, globally competitive digital hub.
The registration will be completed within two months, after which only verified traders will be allowed to operate.
Meanwhile, Fidelix Ezeugwu, executive secretary of the Ikeja Market Board, emphasised the market’s unified leadership, comprising representatives from four major ethnic groups, and the importance of updated data to align with global standards.
He said, “Additional upgrades include installation of walkie-talkies for improved communication, enhanced street lighting, and CCTV cameras to monitor activity.
“These improvements aim to position Computer Village as a world-class market, comparable to international hubs like Dubai and Singapore.”
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