A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday, restrained the Kogi State Government from shutting down the Obajana cement factory.
The state government and the Dangote Group have been at loggerheads over the ownership of the cement factory.
The presiding judge, Justice Binta Nyako, gave the interim order following two separate ex-parte motions moved by the company’s counsel, Regina Okotie-Eboh.
The court also stopped the state government from disrupting or suspending the activities of Dangote Coal Mines Limited and Dangote Industries Limited in Okaba, Ankpa Local Government Area and in Olamaboro Local Government Area respectively.
Earlier, the Kogi State House of Assembly had ordered the company to be sealed until the conglomerate furnished it with documents demanded by the legislature.
Following the order, the state government, on October 13, ordered the cement factory at Obajana to shut down within 48 hours.
The company, however, through Rickey Tarfa (SAN) sued the state House of Assembly, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development and Mining Cadastre Office in a motion ex-parte with suit number: FHC/ABJ/CS/1876/22.
Dangote Coal Mines Limited and Dangote Industries Limited were the applicants in the suit.
In a second motion filed on October 14, and marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1877/22, all the defendants in the first application, except Corporate Affairs Commission, were listed as defendants.
The applicants, in this case, are Dangote Cement Plc and Dangote Industries Limited.
The group in both cases also prayed for an order of interim injunction restraining them or any person purporting to act on their behalf from making any resolution or order, disrupting, suspending or shutting down the facilities or activities of the applicants anywhere in the state in contravention of the provisions of Section 4(2) and item 32 of part 1 second Schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The presiding judge granted the reliefs sought and ordered the applicants to serve the defendants with the motions on notice within 14 days.
The matter was adjourned until November 21 for hearing.
