The family of a detained businessman, Mr Ufoma Joseph Immanuel, has raised the alarm over alleged ill treatment in detention and threat to his life.
Immanuel is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over a disputed $1.5 million oil deal.
The family, which spoke through a civil society organisation, the Initiative for Media Development and Social Impact, IMEDSI, in a petition to President Bola Tinubu, said that Immanuel has been handcuffed to his hospital bed at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, with correctional guards said to be preventing him from moving about despite his doctors’ advice that he do so to avoid blood clots.
Spokesperson for IMEDSI, Ms Onose Oseyi, who spoke for the family, raised concerns over Immanuel’s case, including alleged threat to life, lack of access to lawyers and failure to obey court orders.
The family said the concerns have prompted it to appeal to President Bola Tinubu, the EFCC and the judiciary for a fair trial and humane treatment for the businessman.
Immanuel, chief executive of Chappal Energies, is standing trial before the Lagos State Special Offences Court over allegations by the EFCC that he and his company, Intermediate Investment Holdings Limited, IIHL, obtained about $1.5 million from a businessman, Adebisi Adebutu and R28 Holdings Limited under false pretences. He had pleaded not guilty during his arraignment.
IMEDSI, in the statement released on behalf of the family, said its intervention was not intended to determine Immanuel’s guilt or innocence, nor to interfere with the judicial process. It insisted that the state remains obligated to protect his life, dignity and health while the matter is before the court.
IMEDSI said its representatives who visited Immanuel at the hospital found him handcuffed to the bed, unable to move despite his doctors’ advice that he needs to walk periodically to prevent blood clots, a recognised risk for hospitalised patients confined to bed for extended periods.
“This is inhuman and degrading treatment for a man who has not been convicted of any offence, and it now stands as a direct threat to his life and health, on top of everything else he has endured,” Oseyi said, demanding the immediate removal of the restraint and a public explanation of who authorised it.
It noted that the family’s gravest concern is a reported threat to Immanuel’s life. The family said he had approached the Department of State Services, DSS, in February 2026 to report threats allegedly made against him by Adebutu, only to be detained and later transferred into EFCC custody.
The family further alleged that during a settlement meeting, Adebutu told them Immanuel would die in Kirikiri if he did not surrender his shares in the disputed venture.
Noting that it was not presenting the allegation as fact, the family said it was serious enough to warrant an independent probe, adding that it had also raised the matter with the British High Commission, which reportedly sent a consular official to check on Immanuel’s welfare at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre.
The family further claimed that Immanuel had repeatedly been denied bail and was, on one occasion, removed from LASUTH in the middle of the night. “A criminal allegation does not amount to a conviction. Remand does not amount to imprisonment after trial. Custody does not extinguish dignity,” the statement read.
The family added that the case is not a fraud matter but a commercial disagreement over shares, noting that the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory and the Federal High Court, had already described the dispute as a civil shareholding matter. It explained that the $1.5 million investment was made toward the acquisition of an asset which was completed and publicly announced.
The family appealed to President Tinubu to ensure Immanuel’s rights are protected, and also called on the judiciary, the EFCC and the Nigeria Correctional Service to ensure court orders are obeyed.
It also urged the National Human Rights Commission and civil society bodies to monitor the case independently.
