“Abacha Pursues OPL 245 Appeal at Supreme Court”

On June 4, 2025, Abacha’s legal team, led by renowned Senior Advocate of Nigeria Reuben Atabo, filed a motion seeking leave to challenge a recent Court of Appeal judgment. That ruling, delivered on May 23, effectively shut down Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd.’s bid to reclaim control of OPL 245. Abacha insists he remains the rightful owner of Malabu.

The latest motion argues that the appellate court erred in law and fact, and seeks the Supreme Court’s nod to introduce fresh issues for consideration. An affidavit deposed by one Edwin John contends that the matter raises “substantial questions of law” and that denying the request would amount to stripping Abacha of his constitutional right to appeal.

“It is in the interest of justice to grant this motion, especially as the respondents shall not in any way be prejudiced,” the affidavit reads.

At the heart of the legal storm is OPL 245, an offshore oil block reportedly holding billions of dollars’ worth of untapped crude. Initially awarded to Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd. in 1998 under General Abacha’s regime, the block has since become a lightning rod for controversy.

In 2011, the Nigerian government brokered a $1.1 billion deal that saw the block transferred to international oil giants Shell and Eni (Agip). That transaction unleashed a wave of legal and political fallout that rippled across continents. Prosecutors in Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States launched investigations into allegations of corruption and bribery involving top Nigerian officials and oil executives.

Despite the global spotlight, no criminal convictions have been secured.

In Nigeria, the matter returned to court when Malabu sued to challenge the reallocation of the block. Agip responded by asking the Federal High Court to dismiss the case, arguing that it was statute-barred and procedurally flawed. Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court disagreed and dismissed Agip’s objection.

But in a reversal of fortune, the Court of Appeal sided with Agip. Justice Hamma Akawu Barka, delivering the lead judgment, ruled that the lower court had failed to properly consider issues of fair hearing, time limits, and abuse of court process. The appellate court’s decision effectively derailed Malabu’s comeback.

Now, Mohammed Abacha wants the Supreme Court to overturn that setback. His legal team maintains that the appellate decision glossed over fundamental legal principles and that new grounds must be heard.

For Nigeria, the case carries far more weight than a simple ownership dispute. OPL 245 has come to symbolise the country’s long-running struggles with transparency, justice, and the management of its oil wealth. The government has already suffered major setbacks linked to the block—including a costly $1.7 billion loss in a UK court to JP Morgan in 2022.

As the case ascends to the nation’s highest court, all eyes will be on how the Supreme Court navigates the legal, political, and economic complexities that have dogged the OPL 245 saga for more than 20 years.

Will Abacha get another chance at reclaiming the prize asset of his late father’s regime? Or will the legal tides finally settle in favour of international oil giants and the Nigerian state?

For now, the fate of OPL 245 remains in limbo—caught between the courts and the shifting sands of Nigerian politics.

Stay with The Ameh News for continued coverage of the OPL 245 case and Nigeria’s unfolding oil sector dynamics.