By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

ABUJA— A Civil Society Organisation, the Initiative for Media Development and Social Impact (IMEDSI), has called for a fair trial of detained oil mogul, Mr. Ufoma Immanuel, who is facing prosecution over an alleged $1.5 million oil deal.

In a statement on Tuesday, the group raised the alarm over alleged threats to life and ill-treatment of the defendant.

Immanuel, who is the founder and Chief Executive of Chappal Energies, is standing trial before the Lagos State Special Offences Court over allegations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that he used his company, Intermediate Investment Holdings Limited (IIHL), to obtain about $1.5 million from a businessman, Adebisi Adebutu, and a firm, R28 Holdings Limited, under false pretences.

The defendant, upon his arraignment, had pleaded not guilty to the allegation.

In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Ms Onose Oseyi, the CSO expressed concern over reports that the defendant, who is suffering ill health, was handcuffed to his hospital bed at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), with correctional guards stationed to prevent him from moving about, despite medical advice that he should do so to avoid blood clots.

Describing such treatment as inhumane, the group decried that the defendant had also been denied access to his lawyers and family members.

Insisting that the action was a negation of the order of the court, IMEDSI sought the intervention of President Bola Tinubu, the EFCC, and the judiciary to ensure a fair trial and humane treatment for the defendant.

However, the group said its intervention was “not intended to determine Mr Immanuel’s guilt or innocence, nor to interfere with the judicial process,” noting that the state remains obligated to protect his life, dignity, and health while the matter is before the court.

It maintained that handcuffing the defendant to the hospital bed “is inhuman and degrading treatment for a man who has not been convicted of any offence.”

It said the action stands as a direct threat to the life of the defendant.

“What medical or security justification requires custodial officers to remain within the consultation space itself, rather than immediately outside it?” the group queried.

It said the defendant’s family disclosed that he went to the Department of State Services (DSS) in February 2026 to report threats allegedly made against him, only to be detained and later transferred to the custody of the EFCC.

According to IMEDSI, the defendant, whose trial was adjourned until Thursday, had been repeatedly denied bail.

“A criminal allegation does not amount to a conviction. Remand does not amount to imprisonment after trial. Custody does not extinguish dignity,” it stated, while appealing to President Tinubu, “as the nation’s foremost constitutional authority,” to ensure the defendant’s rights are protected.

The group also urged the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and other civil society bodies to monitor the case independently.

It urged the media and the public to avoid trial by publicity. “No allegation, no commercial dispute, and no criminal prosecution should place a Nigerian citizen beyond the protection of the law,” the statement added.