BY AHMED AKANBI
The Niger Delta Civil Advocacy Group (NDCAG) has petitioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu demanding the immediate release of the Managing Director of Chappal Energies, Mr Ufoma Joseph Immanuel, over what it described as the criminalisation of a private commercial dispute.
In a formal protest letter dated September 1, 2026, and addressed to the President, the group alleged that a business disagreement between Immanuel and businessman Adebisi Adebutu had been turned into a criminal matter.
According to NDCAG, the dispute centres on commercial investment arrangements involving Chappal Energies Mauritius Limited, Intermediate and Investment Holdings Limited, R28 Limited and Adebutu, in connection with investments linked to the acquisition of Equinor Nigeria’s assets.
The group said the issues in contention include disputed shareholding arrangements, subscription rights, investment obligations, financing arrangements and competing corporate interests, which it insisted are fundamentally commercial matters that belong in civil courts.
To support its position, NDCAG cited two court cases, that is, a 2025 suit before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court which granted an interlocutory order restraining the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) from arresting, detaining or prosecuting Immanuel over the disputed arrangements.
It also cited a February 10, 2026 judgment of the Federal High Court in Lagos, which it said declared the EFCC’s publication declaring Immanuel wanted as unjustified and a violation of his fundamental rights.
The court, according to the group, ordered the anti-graft agency to retract the publications and awarded N5 million in damages against it.
NDCAG further alleged that it was Adebutu’s petition to the EFCC that triggered the criminal proceedings.
It raised concerns over what it described as potential commercial benefits accruing to his side from Immanuel’s continued absence from the management of the affected companies.
The group acknowledged that some allegations against Adebutu, including an alleged threat concerning Immanuel’s safety if he refused to surrender shares, remain unverified and require independent investigation.
It called for an inquiry into whether there was any improper influence, directly or through intermediaries, over state institutions involved in the matter.
The organisation also questioned Immanuel’s continued detention despite what it described as his cooperation, noting that he voluntarily honoured an invitation from the Department of State Services (DSS) on March 3, 2026, and complied with a court order to deposit his Nigerian and British passports with the EFCC.
It added that his bail was however revoked on May 7, 2026, reportedly on grounds that he was a flight risk and could interfere with investigation.
NDCAG appealed to Tinubu to direct the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to urgently review the case, ensure compliance with existing court orders, guarantee Immanuel immediate medical care in custody, investigate alleged threats to him and his family, and discontinue the prosecution if no sustainable criminal case exists.
The group stressed that its intervention was not to interfere with judicial independence, but to ensure that executive agencies operate within the Constitution and obey lawful court orders.