FBN Quest Repossesses Nestoil HQ As $1bn Debt Row Deepens—-Nestoil’s financial woes have taken a turn for the worse as FBN Quest Merchant Bank and First Trustees Limited repossessed the company’s Lagos headquarters over a $1 billion debt. Armed policemen were stationed at the entrance of the building, and the multi-storey facility at 41/42 Akin Adesola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, was sealed and marked as repossessed.
This latest development follows a Court of Appeal ruling that reversed an earlier Federal High Court decision, allowing the receiver-manager to take over Nestoil’s assets. The debt, reportedly exceeding $1.01 billion and ₦430 billion, has been a longstanding issue for the oil and gas services group.
Nestoil had previously stated that the matter was a commercial dispute being addressed through legal channels, assuring stakeholders that operations remain unaffected across all business lines. However, the repossession of its headquarters signals a new phase in the years-long battle between Nestoil and its creditors.
A federal high court in Lagos had earlier, on October 22, 2025, issued a Mareva order authorising First Trustees and its subsidiary, FBNQuest Merchant Bank, to assume control of the company’s assets.
Justice D. I. Dipeolu granted the injunction against the defendants — Nestoil Limited, its affiliate Neconde Energy Limited, and the principal promoters, Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi and Nnenna Obiejesi.
Dipeolu restrained all dealings relating to $1,012,608,386.91 and N430,014,064,380.77 — the total indebtedness as of September 30, 2025.
There were also additional debts personally guaranteed by Azudialu-Obiejesi, including over N366.8 billion, $61.2 million, $152 million, and N10.4 billion owed to Access Bank, First Bank, and Zenith Bank.
However, Nestoil and its promoters later approached a federal high court seeking to set aside the Mareva order prior to the latest development.
