Nestoil last night took possession of its office headquarters in Lagos after an initial defiance by some security agencies of a November 20, 2025 court order by Justice Daniel Osiagor, which directed them to immediately withdraw their officers from the premises of the defendants.

Lawyer to the defendants, Chino Obiagwu (SAN) who confirmed the development yesterday, noted that despite the overreaching orders by the courts, the police had declined to vacate the property as well as other assets, including its bank accounts, which were earlier frozen.

In the high-profile debt dispute between FBNQuest Merchant Bank Limited, First Trustees Limited, and oil and gas conglomerate Nestoil Limited, the Federal High Court in Lagos had directed the Lagos State Police Command to immediately withdraw its officers from the premises of the defendants.

“The Court yesterday (Friday) vacated the ex parte that was granted by the court for First Trustees to take possession of Nestoil Towers, among others, and freeze the account. So, all those orders were overreaching and yesterday the courts, the same federal high court, vacated all the orders and directed that Nestoil should recover their possessions and recover the accounts and other assets.

“ So, we have been making efforts to take possession, but the CP refused to withdraw his men until this evening due to pressure from all angles, the CP has withdrawn his men and the company has taken full possession of the Nestoil Towers,” Obiagwu stated.

While stressing that gaining access into the corporate offices was difficult for the security agents since it is electronically controlled, Obiagwu, however pointed out that the CCTV cameras outside were defaced, pointing out that the company was taking steps to take inventory to ensure that there’s no substantial damage to the property.

“What we know is that in a situation like this, we will advise the company to look at their reputational damages, because there was no basis whatsoever for First Bank to come to this property. This property is not owned by Nestoil or any of the companies they are claiming are owing them.

“They are just tenants. And you cannot come to a property owned by somebody else and lock it up for two weeks and chase away people and close businesses,” he added.

The directive followed a court order which vacated an earlier ex parte order that had authorised law enforcement agents’ presence at the facilities of Nestoil Limited, Neconde Energy Limited, and their directors, Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi and Nnenna Obiejesi.

In a formal letter to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, the Deputy Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court, Longwa, conveyed the court’s decision, informing the police hierarchy that the legal basis upon which officers had been deployed to the premises had been set aside.

The letter, dated November 20, 2025, referenced Suit No. FHC/L/CS/2127/2025, and confirmed that Justice Osiagor’s ruling effectively nullified the earlier enforcement actions taken in connection with the plaintiffs’ claims.

“We refer to the Order of Honourable Justice D.E. Osiagor delivered on the 20th day of November, 2025, in respect of the above-mentioned matter. We hereby request that you withdraw your officers from the premises of the defendants, in view of the fact that the said order has been set aside. We look forward to your kind cooperation in this regard,” the letter stated.

The court’s decision restored control of the affected premises to the defendants pending further hearing of the substantive suit, which the Lagos State Police Command was expected to comply with.

But despite the court’s explicit directive, officers of the Lagos Police Command earlier on Friday reportedly refused to leave and went further to block Nestoil staff from accessing their offices, an action that triggered outrage within the company and raised fresh concerns about institutional disregard for judicial authority.

Before the decision of the police to leave the premises, speaking at the premises, Nnaji Iwe, Associate Director and Chief of Staff at Nestoil, said the company had fully complied when the initial ex parte order was served, only to be confronted with resistance when the same court vacated it.

“When the ex parte order was served on us, we complied without resistance. Now that the Federal High Court has vacated that order, we expect the Commissioner of Police to obey. It is not for him to pick and choose which orders to obey,” he noted.

Iwe disclosed that officers not only denied access but also tear-gassed staff, forcing them to flee for safety. “We came in peace, ready to take lawful possession. Instead, we were tear-gassed. We are law-abiding citizens. No one should be above court orders,” he stressed.

Nestoil’s Group General Counsel, Abimbola Atitebi, described the police defiance as a dangerous affront to judicial authority, revealing that court bailiffs were told by police officers that the Federal High Court “needed permission” before its order could be enforced.

“This is beyond terrible. Ex parte orders are temporary. The court vacated it, wrote formally to the Commissioner of Police, and directed him to withdraw officers. For the police to remain there is a complete breakdown of the rule of law” Atitebi said.

The counsel warned that the prolonged occupation of the premises, despite the vacated order, sent troubling signals to foreign investors and undermined the federal government’s efforts to attract investment.

“This is a company in a critical sector. Foreign tenants are trapped. Some cannot access their belongings. What message are we sending? If police will not obey the Federal High Court, what will they obey?”, he said.

The underlying lawsuit was filed by FBNQuest Merchant Bank and First Trustees Limited, who alleged significant indebtedness on the part of Nestoil and its affiliates. The earlier ex parte order had paved the way for a purported receiver-manager to take possession of certain assets.

However, the court found that the order meant to preserve the subject of litigation pending formal hearing had overstayed its legally allowable lifespan and was improperly used to take possession.

In the same vein, Atitebi confirmed that the company’s senior counsel will escalate the issue to the highest levels of the police hierarchy and federal security architecture, describing the officers’ refusal to obey court orders as part of “a broader breakdown of constitutional order.”

“We are a law-abiding enterprise,” he said. “We will escalate this to the highest authorities. No democracy can function where court orders are subjected to personal discretion.” (The Nation)