diff --git a/core/store/dist/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/device/impl/GossipDeviceStore.java b/core/store/dist/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/device/impl/GossipDeviceStore.java
index 687762e..85e67de 100644
--- a/core/store/dist/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/device/impl/GossipDeviceStore.java
+++ b/core/store/dist/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/device/impl/GossipDeviceStore.java
@@ -986,6 +986,10 @@
             // accept removal request if given timestamp is newer than
             // the latest Timestamp from Primary provider
             DeviceDescriptions primDescs = getPrimaryDescriptions(descs);
+            if (primDescs == null) {
+                return null;
+            }
+
             Timestamp lastTimestamp = primDescs.getLatestTimestamp();
             if (timestamp.compareTo(lastTimestamp) <= 0) {
                 // outdated event ignore