A fresh controversy has emerged within Nigeria’s judiciary as the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Terhemba Tsoho, has been accused in a petition of involvement in an alleged $5 million bribery scheme aimed at overturning a court order restraining Nestoil Limited and its affiliates from tampering with their assets in a $1 billion debt recovery dispute.
The allegations surfaced barely one week after Justice Dehinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Lagos granted a Mareva injunction in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/2127/2025, empowering First Trustees Limited and FBNQuest Merchant Bank Limited to take possession of Nestoil’s assets pending determination of the case.
A certified true copy of the ruling, dated October 24, 2025, also indicated that the police, through the office of the Deputy Inspector General of Operations, had been requested to enforce the court order.
However, new claims made by individuals said to be conversant with the matter allege that Nestoil, Neconde Energy Limited, and related respondents have petitioned Justice Dipeolu, accusing him of bias. The petition was allegedly filed following advice purportedly linked to Justice Tsoho.
Judiciary insiders further claim that a $5 million inducement was allegedly offered to facilitate the petition and reassign the case to a different judge, with Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa said to be the expected recipient of the reassigned file. These allegations have not been independently verified.
