** Plot to Seize OML 42 Oil Mining License under false and deceptive debt claims

** Uses First Bank subsidiaries

Neconde Energy Ltd and Nestoil Group has accused First Bank subsidiaries of orchestrating fraudulent and aggressive attempts to seize Neconde’s prized Oil Mining Licence (OML 42), under what the companies calls a “manufactured and unsubstantiated debt claim.”

It is nevertheless not in dispute that for over three(3) years, First Bank Quest has refused to release bank statements to Neconde Energy Ltd and Nestoil Group despite all their requests and attempts to obtain loan and bank statements from FBN Quest and till date the status of any alleged indebtedness has not been determined due to that failure. It is therefore uncertain if any debts exist at all due to the failure to issue statements to verify these claims.

In recent times, financial watchers have accused First Bank of engaging in multiple high stakes financial gangsterism, aimed at taking over lucrative businesses of First Bank customers under the guise of “debt default”. Industry watchers warn that this very dangerous trend that can eventually sink a bank that has been existing for decades.

Even more troubling is the alleged personal involvement of the Chairman of the Firstbank Holdco, Mr Femi Otedola in these aggressive economic bullying drawing comparison from the hostility in Sahara Group case, to General Hydrocarbon to most recently Neconde and Nestoil.

Word on the street has it that Mr Otedola had earlier this year approached Neconde requesting to buy some 16 percent stake in the juicy OML42 Oil Block, a request which was said to have been bluntly rejected by Neconde. It is therefore hardly coincidental that only months later, First Bank pounced on Nestoil and Neconde in an aggressive move to take over OML 42, citing an alleged $1billion dollar unverified debt.

A Dispute Fuelled by Secrecy
According to our sources in Nestoil,
“How can we owe what we cannot see?” one senior Nestoil official asked.
“We cannot verify any debt because First Bank will not release the very documents that would confirm or disprove their claim.”

Nestoil insists that without those statements, the bank’s attempts to enforce debt recovery actions amount to economic ambush and economic gangsterism.

The Contested Licence

At the center of the conflict is OML 42—one of the most promising onshore blocks in the Niger Delta Basin. Industry analysts estimate that the license could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue over its lifespan. At present OML42 accounts for approximately 5% of Nigeria’s crude oil production.

There are claims that the subsidiaries of First Bank Holdco under the Chairmanship of Mr Femi Otedola has shown “unusual, excessive interest” in taking over the OML42 through court orders, ex parte motions, and aggressive debt-recovery procedures that the company says lack documentary justification.

“It has become clear that the bank’s objective is not repayment—it is acquisition,” a senior financial expert states.

Legal Manoeuvres and Alleged Overreach

Legal experts interviewed for this story say the refusal of First Bank to release bank statements, if true, raises serious questions about transparency and the integrity of the bank’s claims.

One financial law analyst noted:

“A creditor refusing to provide account statements is highly irregular. Any enforcement action without documentary clarity could be challenged as predatory or abusive.”

Nestoil and Neconde Vows to Resist “Corporate Bullying”

The Company says it intends to escalate the matter to regulatory bodies, accusing First Bank of:

Withholding essential financial documents;

Misrepresenting loan obligations;

Attempting to take over strategic national assets through deception and;

Engaging in “bad faith banking practices”.

The companies has also hinted at pursuing damages for reputational harm and economic loss.

Uncertain Road Ahead

As the battle intensifies, industry observers warn that the dispute could unsettle local and international investor confidence in the already fragile upstream sector.

For now, NestoilGroup and Neconde Energy says it will continue to fight what it calls a “calculated attempt to strip us of our assets using fictitious debt claims and procedural intimidation. No amount of malicious court cases will deter us”.

Whether First Bank can substantiate its alleged debt claim—or whether the controversy exposes a deeper pattern of aggressive asset acquisition tactics—remains to be seen.

In the plaintiffs Originating Summons Suit No.FHC/L/CP/1439/2025 they avail that “Whether the 2nd Plaintiff’s exercise of the power vested in it by virtue of the
Security Sharing Deed,Deed of Charge dated 8h December 2022 and Deeds of
All Assets Debenture dated 27h August 2007,28th March 2005(and the
Supplemental Documents)and its appointment of the Receiver/Manager over OML 42 JV and other crystallised charges and assets of the 18 and 2nd
Defendants due to the Events of Default,entitles the Receiver/Manager so-
appointed to exercise all the rights and duties as enshrined in the Deed of
Charge and All Assets Debenture for the full realisation of the outstanding
indebtedness of US$1,012,608,386.91(One Billion Twelve Million Six Hundred and Eight Thousand Three Hundred and Eighty-Six United Stated Dollars Nine One Cents)and NGN430,014,064,380.77(Four Hundred and Thirty Billion Fourteen Million Sixty-Four Thousand Three Hundred and Eighty Naira Seven-Seven kobo)owed to the Lenders as at 30h September, 2025 and any interest accrued until final liquidation.

5.Whether by virtue of Clause 3.3 of the Neconde Deed of Charge,the Plaintiffs
on behalf of Lenders can take over the 45%interest of the 2nd Defendant to
recover the outstanding indebtedness of US$1,012,608,386.91(One Billion
Twelve Million Six Hundred and Eight Thousand Three Hundred and Eighty-
Six United Stated Dollars Nine One Cents)and NGN430,014,064,380.77 (Four
Hundred and Thirty Billion Fourteen Million Sixty-Four Thousand Three
Hundred and Eighty Naira Seven-Seven kobo)from the OML 42 JV
Activities/Contracts.

6.Whether having regard to the personal guarantees given by the 3d and 4th
Defendants to the Lenders,the 3d and 4h Defendants are personally liable to
repay the loan facilities issued by the Lenders to the 1st Defendant to the tune
ef the amcunt pciscnal!;;guaranteed.

7.Whether the Lenders being unsatisfied creditors and the 2nd Plaintiff are
entitled to an ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the 1-4h
Defendants(as obligors)whether by themselves,servants,or agents from
operating and/or dealing with any interest in the charged assets,movable or
immovable,until the sum of US$1,012,608,386.91(One Billion Twelve Million Six Hundred and Eight Thousand Three Hundred and Eighty-Six United
Stated Dollars Nine One Cents)and NGN430,014,064,380.77 (Four Hundred
and Thirty Billion Fourteen Million Sixty-Four Thousand Three Hundred
and Eighty Naira Seven-Seven kobo)being outstanding balance.

With these pending issues waiting for the determination of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, alleging that Nestoil is on the receivership is a hoax.

Furthermore, the plaintiffs prayer for the court to give judicial recognition of the purported Receiver Manager was refused by Justice Dipeolu, before the case was transfered to another judge for hearing and its determination.