Oil well: Senate threatens arrest, firm sues lawmakers, demands N10bn

Halkin Exploration and Production Limited has slammed a N10bn on the Senate for daring to entertain a petition on the disputed Atala Marginal Oil Field (OML 46).

The dispute is between Hardy Oil Nigeria Limited and HEPL.

The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions has therefore threatened to issue an arrest warrant to compel the management of HEPL to appear before it based on the petition against it authored by Hardy Oil Nigeria Limited.

Hardy Oil had in a petition filed against HEPL to the Senate alleged that the Atala Marginal Field (OML 46) hitherto owned by it was fraudulently sold to HEPL by the scrapped Department of Petroleum Resources.

The Senate had on the strength of the petition mandated its committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, to investigate the matter.

The two oil firms at the beginning of the investigative hearing by the Committee in October appeared through their representatives.

However, HEPL, after evading two subsequent summons after its maiden appearance before the panel, surprisingly slammed the committee with a N10bn suit seeking discontinuation of further deliberation on the matter.

The Committee Chairman, Senator Ayo Akinyelure (PDP Ondo Central) broke the news of the law suit to his members at their sitting on Tuesday.

Senators James Manager, Uche Ekwunife, Smart Adeyemi and Sam Egwu vowed to ensure that no court injunction would stop the Senate probe.