A customary court in Rivers State has restrained the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) from intermeddling into contractual rights of a security outfit, N.D.S. Surveillance Nigeria Limited and Ibifuro Finuma.

The security outfit had dragged IPMAN to court over breach of contract in the collection of its trip levies from the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC) and private depots in the Niger Delta region and eastern zone of the country. 

Presiding Chairman of the court, E. Ndamati, ordered that leave be granted to the applicants to serve the defendants the originating summons and every other subsequent process in the suit.

The court also ordered other defendants not to interface with the contractual obligations of N.D.S. Surveillance as contained in the agreement dated March 5, 2021, between both parties in the region. 

The court sheet reads: “The court further orders that the defendants, either by themselves, their agent, servants, privies and or howsoever described are restrained from intermeddling, interrupting or interfering with the execution of such contractual rights and obligation as contained in the agreement dated March 5, 2021, subject matter of this suit, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

“That the defendants either by themselves, their agent, servants, privies and or howsoever described are further restrained from awarding the claimants/applicants contracts as contained in the said agreement dated March 5, 2021, subject matter of this suit whether in part or whole to any person(s) or group pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.”

The security outfit recognised by the Federal Government is saddled with the responsibility of combating illegal oil bunkering, pipeline vandalism, collection of IPMAN trip levies from depots, security of coastal waterways, creeks, badges, fishing trawlers, refineries, depots and oil gas infrastructure.