Binance Holdings Limited on Tuesday said it is exploring a resolution of the tax evasion charges filed against it by the Federal Government, signalling a pause in the trial.

Sunday Agaji, the company’s counsel disclosed this before Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Moses Ideho, counsel to the government a deputy director in the legal department of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (now Nigeria Revenue Service), confirmed the development.

Although the matter was slated for continuation of trial, Ideho told the court he had been informed earlier by the defence that the company had approached the tax authority to discuss an out-of-court settlement.

Agaji said discussions were ongoing.

“My lord, parties are exploring settlement. That is essentially where we are,” he said.

Following submissions from both parties, Justice Nwite adjourned the case until May 12 for a report on settlement talks.

( Business Day)

Fuel prices in the Federal Capital Territory have surged sharply, with petrol now selling for as high as N1,371 per litre at some stations, sparking frustration among consumers.

Reports showed NIPCO selling at N1,371 per litre and AYM Shafa at N1,370 per litre. NNPC Retail has also raised its pump price to N1,361 per litre, up from N1,261 per litre last week, while MRS, a Dangote partner station, now charges N1,367 per litre, up from N1,270.

The increases come after Dangote Refinery’s recent gantry price adjustments, marking roughly a 55 per cent rise in petrol prices over the past three weeks.

Earlier hikes included:

March 3: NNPC at N975/litre, AYM Shafa at N960/litre

March 6: NNPC at N1,068/litre, AYM Shafa at N1,098/litre

March 9: NNPC climbed from N1,161 to N1,267/litre; AYM Shafa rose from N1,230 to N1,300/litre

Minor dips two days later were short-lived, as prices surged again in subsequent days.

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has completed the sale of 12 cargoes of refined petroleum products totalling 456,000 tonnes to neighbouring African countries in February.

In a statement, the Refinery said that the shipments, sold on a free-on-board basis to international traders, have been delivered to Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Tanzania, Ghana, and Togo — a spread that signals the refinery’s ambitions extend well beyond its West African neighbourhood.

“This accomplishment underscores the Dangote Refinery’s capability to not only meet but exceed Nigeria’s domestic fuel demands.”

The exports arrive at a moment of acute disruption in global energy markets, with several African countries that have historically depended on large refineries in the Persian Gulf now looking to Dangote as an alternative source.

The refinery has framed its regional role in pointed terms, describing West Africa as a market long regarded as “a dumping ground for lower-quality fuels” and positioning its Euro 5-standard gasoline and diesel as a corrective to that history.