Six Management Staff of Mobil in Committal Court Proceedings …the Ex-staff Connections

Former staff of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited Company, James Nwagbogwu Ebede has commenced committal to prison proceeding against six management staff of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, namely, Lead country manager, Mr. Richarch Lang, General counsel Mr. Dozie Adesuwa, Executive Director Human Relations Mr. Aliyu Bala, Production Manager Alexander Savva, and two other senior management staff, Olusegun Banwo and Adelabu Adedoyin warning them of consequence of disobedience of order of the court.

In form (48) Notice of consequence of disobedience of order of court filed before Lagos Industrial court, The contemnors, all of the of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited company should take notice that unless they obey the directions contained in the Order of the National Industrial Court, Lagos Division made on the 15th day of August, 2022 to wit:

That the Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited is ordered to furnish an account in any name with enough funds to offset the judgment of the Honourable Court should the Claimant’s claims succeed;

That the Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited is to file an affidavit of compliance in two weeks, and a lien placed on the said account so that these funds cannot be depleted and

That the funds in the account will revert to the Defendants if they successfully defend against the Claimant’s claims, forthwith, you shall be guilty of contempt of Court and will be liable to be committed to prison.

     By a motion dated and filed on the 9th of May, 2022, the Claimant/Applicant James Nwagbogwu Ebede prayed the Honourable Court for an Order directing the Defendants’ to furnish sufficient security in the sum of USD4,200,000 (Four Million. Two Hundred Thousand Dollars) to satisfy any decree or judgment that may be made against the

Defendants’ in this suit. The Application was brought on the following grounds:

That the Claimant filed this action against the Defendants’ as far back as January 2018.claiming the sum of $4,200,000 for unlawful termination of his appointment.

The 1st Defendant Exxon Mobil Corporation on the 19th November 2020 obtained an Order staying proceedings in this case pending the determination of a purported appeal hence the hearing of this case was stalled for over one year.

That this Honourable Court on the 27 day of January, 2022 set aside the Order staying proceedings and adjourned the case for hearing.

    However, it has come to the notice of the Claimant that the Defendants’ are selling off the assets of the 2nd Defendant Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited within Nigeria.

This application prays the Court to Order the Defendants’ to furnish sufficient security to satisfy any Judgment that may be given.

The application is supported by a 29 paragraph affidavit, exhibits and a written address containing Counsels submissions.

The 1st and 2nd Defendants both filed counter affidavits on the 7th June, 2022 supported by exhibits and written addresses containing their respective Counsels counter affidavits.

However, it has come to the notice of the Claimant that the Defendants’ are selling off the assets of the Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited within Nigeria.

The counsel to the applicant Barrister Chuks Uguru prays the Court to Order the Defendants’ to furnish sufficient security to satisfy any Judgment given.

The Defendants filed counter affidavits on the 7 June, 2022 supported by exhibits and written addresses containing their respective Counsels counter affidavits, Paul Usoro SAN with two other lawyers represented Exxon Mobil Corporation, while Abimbola Akeredolu SAN with three other lawyers represented Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited

In his ruling the presiding Judge R. H. Gwandu said “I have gone through the processes filed, the exhibits tendered and the argument of Counsels as contained in their final written addresses. the sale of assets as submitted by the Claimant and can also be seen in media relates mainly to the 2nd Defendants’ Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited assets in Nigeria which may or may not be pending the assent of the Minister of Petroleum, it therefore means that this application will mainly affect the 2nd Defendant who’s assets have been the subject of sale consequently:

It is hereby ordered as follows:

 That the 2nd defendant Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited is ordered to furnish an account in any name with enough funds to offset the Judgment of this Honourable Court should the claimant’s claims succeed

That the 2nd defendant is to file an affidavit of compliance in two weeks, and a lien placed on the said account so that these funds cannot be depleted.

That the funds in the said account will revert to the defendants if they successfully defend against the claimants claims.

In a statement of fact filed before the Court by a Lagos lawyer, Dr. Francis Chuka Agbu SAN, the ex -ExxonMobil corporation staff, Ebede stated that he worked with the company from December, 2001 to 2018 as an Engineer and that because of his consistent excellent performance, he was at various times given important responsibilities.

He stated in 2015, he was deployed to Dubai, with the posting to last till December 2017, but that he was forcefully redeployed back to Nigeria and retired because he refused to carry out dishonest actions that he was being compelled to do by the manager of ExxonMobil while on assignment in the United Arab Emirates and Iran.

According to him, on his return to Nigeria, further punitive actions were taken against him leading to his forced pre-mature retirement,

Consequently,he filed this suit claiming $4.2million to assuage injustice meted out to him.