Nigeria won a $11 billion judgement debt hearing in October 2023, and as a result, a British court ordered Process & Industrial Developments (P&ID) Limited to pay Nigeria £20 million in damages and compensation.

The money must be transferred to Nigeria within the next 28 days, per the court’s decision.

During a follow-up ruling in London to ascertain what transpired following the October ruling, the £20 million damages award was made public.

According to reports, P&ID requested that the matter be sent to arbitration, but the court rejected their request. The hearing was also intended to decide if P&ID would be allowed to appeal the ruling.

It argued that the judgement was justified because of the company’s abhorrent behaviour throughout the process.

Nigeria had sued P&ID for at least £20 million in damages and legal fees; but, in October, the UK court freed Nigeria from its involvement in the $11 billion judgement debt that had previously been granted to P&ID Limited, providing it with a substantial measure of relief.

Judge Robin Knowles of the Commercial Courts of England and Wales upheld Nigeria’s allegation that the gas processing contract was gained through fraud in the legal dispute between the Federal Government of Nigeria and P&ID.

Judge Knowles declared in the verdict that followed a five-year court battle: “Nigeria succeeds on its challenge under section 68 in the circumstances and for the reasons I have attempted to describe and explain. I don’t agree with everything Nigeria has said. However, the prizes were acquired through deception, and their acquisition process went against public policy.

Recall that in 2010, Nigeria hired P&ID to construct a gas processing plant in Calabar, Cross River State, in the southern part of the nation. However, the agreement collapsed due to noncompliance by the Nigerian government.