Court Commences Committal Proceedings Against AMCON Chairman Bello, Senior Lawyers, Others

Committal proceedings have commenced at the Federal High Court in Lagos against senior officials of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) and two of its lawyers, over alleged contempt of court in an ongoing dispute with General Hydrocarbons Limited (GHL).

GHL accuses the corporation and its legal team of “brazen contempt in the face of the court”, alleging that they failed to disclose a subsisting restraining order issued by Justice A. Lewis-Allagoa, which barred AMCON from appointing or continuing with the appointment of a receiver over GHL.

Despite that order, AMCON is said to have proceeded before Justice Akintayo Aluko and obtained an ex parte order, without informing the court of the earlier ruling.

GHL also contends that AMCON misrepresented the status of an Eligible Bank Asset (EBA) supposedly issued by First Bank of Nigeria, insisting that only a part-payment had been made and that the transaction remained incomplete.

Earlier, the court issued Form 48 – a statutory notice warning of the consequences of disobeying a court order. Having now issued Form 49, the court has formally triggered committal proceedings, requiring the named parties to show cause why they should not be committed to prison for contempt.

According to the court documents, the eight persons cited are:

Dr Bala Bello – Chairman, AMCON

Mr Gbenga Alade – Managing Director, AMCON

Mr Adeshola Lamidi – Executive Director, AMCON

Mr Lucky Adaghe – Executive Director, AMCON

Dr Aminu Mukhtar Dan’amu – Executive Director, AMCON

Mr Oluseyi Akinwunmi – the receiver purportedly appointed over GHL

Mr Bidemi Ademola-Bello, SAN – counsel to AMCON and its MD, present when Justice Lewis-Allagoa issued the restraining order

Mr Ade Adedeji, SAN – whose firm represents AMCON and its managing director.

Justice Lewis-Allagoa has ordered substituted service of the Form 49 committal processes on all eight, directing that they may be served via their official email addresses, WhatsApp numbers, delivery at their offices, or through publication in at least two national newspapers and other major news platforms.

The move marks a serious escalation in the GHL–AMCON dispute, with the court now set to determine whether the conduct of the listed officials and lawyers amounts to contempt capable of attracting sanctions — including possible committal to prison.

In an era of increased scrutiny of public institutions, this development adds pressure on Nigeria’s disposition toward rule-of-law, judicial enforcement and corporate governance in the management of distressed assets.

The outcome of these proceedings may set a precedent for how agencies like AMCON engage with court orders and counter-parties in restructuring scenarios.