The Federal High Court in Port Harcourt has scheduled a hearing for May 20, 2025, to address contempt proceedings against the Managing Directors of General Hydrocarbons and Century Energy Limited, among others, for allegedly disobeying court orders. The suit, numbered FHC/PHC/CS/287/2024, also names Etete Ken and the Managing Director of General Hydrocarbons and Century Energy Limited as alleged contemnors.

The contempt suit arises from the alleged defiance of Justice A.T. Mohamed's order issued on December 18, 2024. Trisac Nigeria Limited, the plaintiff, enlisted T.G.E. Nwugha & Co, a Lagos-based admiralty law firm, to recover $1,647,975 USD owed for offshore logistics support services provided to General Hydrocarbons Limited (GHL) for OML 120.

Justice A.T. Mohamed had ordered the arrest and detention of 150,000 barrels of crude oil belonging to GHL on board the tanker M.T. Tamara Tokoni as security for the plaintiff’s claim. The court specifically directed the admiralty marshal, with the assistance of the Nigerian Navy and the Harbour Master of the Nigerian Ports Authority, to arrest and detain the cargo at its location in the Western Niger Delta OML 120 offshore Nigeria or any location within Nigerian territorial waters. The court ordered the release of the crude oil only upon payment of the claimed sums into the court or provision of an acceptable bank guarantee.

The sums included USD$1,647,975 for unpaid hire of the plaintiffs’ ships MV DONNY & MV OCEAN MERIT, USD$60,000 for the cost of redelivery of the vessel to Port Harcourt, and USD$50,000 for general damages, to be guaranteed by a reputable Nigerian bank.

However, General Hydrocarbon Limited, allegedly in conjunction with Century Energy Services (a non-party to the suit), reportedly began evacuating the arrested crude oil in defiance of the court order. Consequently, the plaintiff initiated committal proceedings against the MDs of both General Hydrocarbon and Century Energy Limited by issuing Form 48.

According to the affidavit of facts and urgency supporting Form 48, deposed to by Godpower Anuba, the Plaintiff’s Operations Supervisor, the court had directed the arrest and detention of the 1st defendant pending the provision of an acceptable bank guarantee to secure the plaintiff’s claim.