The Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has granted a Mareva injunction restraining the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) and all commercial banks operating in Nigeria from releasing or transferring any funds to Beijing Seajets International Forwarder Company Limited.
The interim order follows a commercial dispute involving an alleged unpaid debt of $117,000 (approximately £92,000) owed to a Nigerian marine logistics firm.
The presiding judge, Justice Stephen Daylop Pam, barred NNPC Ltd from making any payments to the Chinese company, its directors, shareholders, or agents “in whatever form or under any guise” regarding contractual obligations tied to the matter before the court. Justice Pam further ordered the immediate, temporary freezing of all funds and assets belonging to the foreign firm within Nigerian territory up to the value of the disputed sum.
The judicial directives were issued in Suit No: FHC/PH/CS/55/2026, following an ex parte application argued by M.K. Chinda alongside H. Aigbiremolen, from the law firm of Thankgod Nwugha Esq., on behalf of the plaintiff, Wellman Group Limited.
In its filings before the court, Wellman Group Limited alleged that Beijing Seajets International Forwarder Company Limited failed and refused to settle invoices for the charter of tugboats and barges. The vessels were deployed to transport and store heavy industrial cargo within Nigerian territorial waters between 8 December 2025 and 27 January 2026.
The maritime operation involved the conveyance of critical energy infrastructure, including: A 340-ton gas turbine. 300 tons of Giwu 1 and 2 generators.
The heavy cargo was transported from the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) facility in Warri, Delta State, to the Griniya Jetty in Lokoja, Kogi State, aboard the plaintiff’s specialised barge, MV Dodi Star. Counsel to the plaintiff informed the court that the outstanding $117,000 represents unpaid hire charges accumulated during the operation, billed at a contractually agreed daily rate of $12,987.10.
A Mareva injunction is a court order that freezes assets to prevent a defendant from dissipating or moving them out of a court’s jurisdiction before a judgment is reached.
Justice Pam’s ruling explicitly restricts the Chinese logistical firm from tampering with any of its movable or immovable assets, shares, or bank accounts held within Nigeria pending the determination of the substantive motion on notice.
The formal order states: “An order of Mareva injunction is hereby made restraining the defendant, its Directors, Shareholders, Agents, Servants, and/or Privies from dealing with, dissipating, transferring, selling or however tampering with any assets, whether movable or immovable, shares or funds in any financial institution in Nigeria pending the hearing and final determination of the motion on notice.”
Furthermore, Justice Pam directed all financial institutions across the country, alongside NNPC Ltd, to disclose under oath within seven days the exact balance of any funds or credits belonging to the defendant currently held in their custody. The court has adjourned the matter until 1 June 2026 for mention.
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