Racism allegation: Court restrains Seplat boss from CEO’s role

The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has granted an interim order restraining Mr. Roger Brown from parading himself as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Seplat Energy Plc. Justice Chukwuejekwu Aneke ruled that the order stands pending the determination of a suit instituted against him and others by aggrieved stakeholders of the company. The applicants, in the motion paper seen by The Nation, alleged racism, favouring of expatriate workers, discrimination against Nigerians, and breach of good governance.

The court also restrained the firm’s Chairman, Board of Directors, Mr. Basil Omiyi, and all the Non-Executive Directors under him from “continuing to run the affairs of Seplat in an illegal, unfair, prejudicial, and oppressive manner pending the hearing and determination of the Petitioner’s Motion on Notice for an interlocutory injunction”.

Justice Aneke made orders on Wednesday while ruling on a motion ex parte brought by some aggrieved Seplat Energy Plcs stakeholders.

The applicants/petitioners in the suit are; Moses Igbrude, Sarat Kudaisi, Kenneth Nnabike, Ajani Abidoye, and Robert Ibekwe.

Seplat Energy PLC, Mr. Roger Thompson Brown, and Mr. Basil Omiyi, were listed as respondents in a suit marked FHC/L/402/2023.

Also, sequel to a separate ex parte application, Justice Aneke granted the petitioners/applicants leave to serve the petition, any order of the court and all other processes to be issued subsequently in the matter on Brown and Omiyi by pasting on the premises of Seplat Energy located at Ikoyi, Lagos.

The court adjourned till March 23, for a hearing of the pending application.

The applicants filed their motion on notice through their lawyer, Jeph Njikonye (SAN). Nation