Contempt proceedings have been initiated against Mr. Abubakar Sulu-Gambari, SAN, following allegations that he disobeyed a subsisting order of the Federal High Court in Abuja restraining him from acting as Receiver/Manager over Nestoil Limited and Neconde Energy Limited.
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The contempt notice, known as Form 48, was served on Sulu-Gambari on Wednesday at his office over what legal observers described as a deliberate defiance of the order of court made on December 1, 2025, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/2534/2025.
The Federal High Court had, in the said order, directed all parties in the suit to maintain the status quo ante bellum pending the hearing and determination of pending motions on notice. The court also expressly suspended the purported powers of the Receiver.
However, in the contempt notices filed in Abuja, it was alleged that despite the subsisting order, Sulu-Gambari continued to act and hold himself out as Receiver/Manager of Nestoil Limited and Neconde Energy Limited.
The alleged acts include the issuance of public press releases dated June 3 and June 4, 2026, published in national media, wherein he reportedly asserted that he remained Receiver/Manager over the companies and warned members of the public against dealing with any other person.
Sulu-Gambari was consequently put on notice that his alleged actions constituted wilful disobedience of the order of the court.
The Form 48 notice of consequences of disobedience to an order of court was brought pursuant to Order IX, Rules 1–3 of the Judgment Enforcement Rules, Section 72 of the Sheriffs and Civil Process Act, 2004, and under the inherent powers of the court.
The notice reads in part: “Take notice that unless you stop further disobedience and comply with the direction contained in the order of the Federal High Court, Abuja, made on December 1, 2025, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/2534/2025, which ordered as follows:
“That all parties in this suit are ordered to maintain the status quo ante bellum, pending the hearing and determination of the motions on notice, as the purported powers of the 2nd Defendant is hereby put on hold.”
The development comes against the backdrop of recent Supreme Court decisions affecting the disputed receivership.
On June 1, 2026, the Supreme Court, in SC/CV/1130/2025, set aside all ex parte orders of the Court of Appeal dated November 27, 2025, which had been in favour of the purported Receiver.
The apex court’s decision followed its earlier judgment of April 10, 2026, in SC/CV/46/2026, where it held that the authority of the purported Receiver to act was at the heart of the dispute pending before the Federal High Court and remained subject to judicial determination.
The Supreme Court was said to have reiterated similar views in its June 1 judgment while setting aside the ex parte orders that had allegedly given Sulu-Gambari judicial cover.
It was further alleged that Sulu-Gambari deliberately concealed or failed to disclose that the exercise of any powers purportedly arising from the alleged deeds of appointment had been restrained, suspended and placed in abeyance by subsisting orders of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, presided over by Justice P. O. Lifu.
According to the allegations, Sulu-Gambari, being a defendant in the suit, was personally aware of the orders, which were said to remain extant and unchallenged.
Legal analysts said the alleged conduct, if established, would go beyond mere non-compliance and amount to a direct challenge to the authority of the court.
They warned that continued defiance of a subsisting court order could expose the alleged contemnor to serious sanctions, including imprisonment, fines and other punitive orders.
A senior legal practitioner, who commented on the development, said the matter raised serious concerns about respect for judicial authority.
“This is not just disobedience, it is a frontal attack on the justice system,” the lawyer said, adding that failure to enforce court orders could undermine the foundation of the rule of law.
The unfolding legal battle has intensified the dispute over the receivership of Nestoil Limited and Neconde Energy Limited, with analysts saying the matter has moved beyond a commercial disagreement to a major test of obedience to court orders in Nigeria.
They stressed that no individual, regardless of status or title, is above the law, adding that the courts retain both the power and the duty to enforce compliance with their orders.
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