A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday renewed its order barring the Federal Government from offering for sale Oil Mining Licenses 13 and 16 pending its ruling on a preliminary objection filed by the government to a suit instituted by Shell Petroleum Development Company Nigeria Limited, seeking to stop government from allocating the said OMLs to someone else.

The trial judge, Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako gave the order after counsel to Shell Petroleum Development, Mr. Adebayo Adenipekun (SAN) informed the court that the Federal Government carried an advertorial in the Daily Trust Newspaper asking prospective bidders to go ahead and bid for the said OMLs in sheer disregard to the court, which had directed all parties to maintain the status quo ante. She said: "The OMLs should not be sold until I give my ruling on the preliminary objection." But government's counsel, Mr. Femi Akinlodun insisted that government had not taken any step in respect of the OMLs.

The court had on April 27 this year given an order directing Shell Development Company (plaintiff) and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and the Attorney General of the Federation (defendants) to maintain the status quo ante. After hearing the arguments of the preliminary objection, Justice Binta Nyako adjourned the case to May 17 for ruling.