The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, has warned that inconsistency in judicial and regulatory responses to banking and insolvency disputes risks undermining public confidence in Nigeria’s financial system, calling on judges to strike a careful balance between urgency, fairness, and statutory regulatory objectives in an increasingly complex financial sector.
Tsoho, represented by Justice Olayinka Faji at the 2026 Sensitization Seminar for Federal High Court Judges organized by the National Judicial Institute and the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation in Lagos, said courts were increasingly confronted with applications for interim relief, insolvency proceedings, competing asset claims, and challenges to regulatory powers under circumstances requiring both urgency and measured restraint.
He said banking disputes had moved beyond the interests of immediate litigants to directly affect public trust, depositor confidence, and systemic financial stability, and that judicial decisions in such cases shaped the practical operation of financial regulation and influenced public perception of accountability within the sector. He emphasized that bank liquidation proceedings could not be treated as ordinary commercial disputes given their implications for depositors, creditors, investors, employees, and regulators alike.
NDIC Managing Director Thompson Sunday, represented by Executive Director Emily Osuji, said effective bank liquidation and depositor protection depended heavily on timely judicial intervention, warning that delays and conflicting decisions in liquidation matters could frustrate asset recovery, depositor reimbursement, and broader financial sector stability. He said sound and well-reasoned judicial decisions contributed directly to depositor confidence, investor trust, and overall economic resilience.
National Judicial Institute Administrator Justice Babatunde Adejumo urged judges to uphold the integrity of the judiciary, describing it as the country’s last hope for both the common person and the nation as a whole.
