The National Industrial Court in Abuja has issued an interim order preventing the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and key government agencies from halting crude oil and gas deliveries to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.

Justice Emmanuel Sublim granted the restraining order on Monday while ruling on an ex parte application filed by the refinery’s legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, George Ibrahim. The judge held that cutting supply to the multibillion-dollar facility could cause severe and irreversible harm to both the company and the economy.

The order specifically bars PENGASSAN, along with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), from enforcing any directive that would disrupt supply to the refinery.

The court also instructed that the interim order and relevant court documents be served on all defendants without delay. The case has been adjourned until October 13, when the substantive motion will be heard.

The ruling comes amid a brewing dispute between PENGASSAN and the refinery, which had threatened to spark fresh industrial unrest in the oil and gas sector.