RIGHT OF REPLY
TUNJI BRAITHWAITE LAW PARTNERS
TO:
The Editor-in-Chief and Management
Africa Oil + Gas Report
(Festus Adebayo & Associates / Publisher)
AND TO:
The General Public, International Lender Banks, Energy Sector Regulators, and Joint Venture Partners
RE: FRAUDULENT PUBLIC NOTICE AND SUB JUDICE MEDIA MISREPRESENTATION REGARDING THE OWNERSHIP AND SHAREHOLDING OF CHAPPAL ENERGIES MAURITIUS LIMITED / CHAPPAL ENERGIES
TAKE NOTICE that TUNJI BRAITHWAITE LAW PARTNERS acts as Legal Representatives to MR. UFOMA JOSEPH IMMANUEL and INTERMEDIATE INVESTMENTS HOLDINGS LIMITED (IIHL) in respect of the ongoing corporate shareholding, governance, and equity disputes involving CHAPPAL ENERGIES MAURITIUS LIMITED.
Our attention has been drawn to a malicious, false, and deeply misleading publication featured on your online news platform, Africa Oil + Gas Report, dated 24th September 2026, under the caption:
“Adebisi Adebutu is Now the Owner of Chappal Energies”
We hereby issue this formal PUBLIC NOTICE, LEGAL DISCLAIMER, AND CEASE & DESIST DIRECTIVE to set the record straight and protect the international market, financial institutions, and industry stakeholders from being deceived by calculated corporate propaganda.
- ABSOLUTE DISCLAIMER OF OWNERSHIP CLAIM
- The claim that “Adebisi Adebutu is now the owner of Chappal Energies” is FALSE, FRAUDULENT, UNLAWFUL, AND TOTALLY DESTITUTE OF ANY LEGAL EFFECT.
- Neither Mr. Adebisi Adebutu nor R28 Limited possesses sole or majority lawful ownership of Chappal Energies Mauritius Limited. The purported rights issue, share dilution, and corporate restructuring referenced in your article are the subject of intense, unresolved legal challenge and are entirely VOID AB INITIO under extant corporate laws and international arbitration rules.
2. NOTICE OF PENDING LITIGATION AND ARBITRATION (SUB JUDICE)
The public, international financial institutions, compliance officers, and industry operators are hereby formally notified that the equity structure, management control, and beneficial ownership of Chappal Energies Mauritius Limited are currently the subject of active, binding, and contested legal proceedings across multiple judicial and arbitral forums, including but not limited to:
- LCIA ARBITRATION (LONDON): International arbitration proceedings formally commenced under the Rules of the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) challenging the illicit dilution, breach of fiduciary duties, and fraudulent equity expropriation.
- REGULATORY COMPLAINTS (MAURITIUS FSC): Pending formal investigations before the Financial Services Commission (FSC) of Mauritius regarding corporate governance infractions, unauthorized share allotments, and regulatory misrepresentations.
- FEDERAL HIGH COURT OF NIGERIA AND NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL COURT OF NIGERIA: Active, subsisting lawsuits including Suit No: FHC/LAG/CS/87/2026 and SUIT NO: NICN/LA/107/2026, related commercial actions wherein the courts have issued binding interlocutory mandates to preserve the status quo.
Under the doctrine of sub judice, any attempt by Mr. Adebisi Adebutu, R28 Limited, or media proxies to unilaterally declare a change in corporate ownership while these courts and tribunals are actively seized of the matter constitutes an unlawful interference with the administration of justice and an act of contempt.
3. WARNING TO INTERNATIONAL LENDER BANKS & REGULATORS
All international lender syndicates, trade finance banks, institutional investors, and regulatory agencies (including NUPRC and NNPC Limited) are strongly advised to exercise extreme due diligence:
- No Reliance: Any financial facility, asset pledge, farm-in/farm-out transaction, or commercial agreement executed on the reliance of Mr. Adebisi Adebutu’s claim of sole ownership or control of Chappal Energies is executed at the third party’s sole peril and remains subject to immediate legal set-aside and clawback.
- Status Quo: The legitimate equity, board representation, and executive authority of MR. UFOMA JOSEPH IMMANUEL remain protected under active judicial and arbitral scrutiny.
- DEMAND FOR IMMEDIATE RETRACTION AND CEASE & DESIST In view of the foregoing, TUNJI BRAITHWAITE LAW PARTNERS hereby demands that the Editorial Board of Africa Oil + Gas Report immediately:
- PULL DOWN & RETRACT: Permanently remove the defamatory, false, and sub judice publication titled “Adebisi Adebutu is now the owner of Chappal Energies” from your website and all affiliated social media handles within TWENTY-FOUR (24) HOURS of receiving this notice.
- PUBLISH AN EQUAL UNQUALIFIED RETRACTION: Issue a prominent public disclaimer on your platform acknowledging that the ownership and equity structure of Chappal Energies Mauritius Limited remain sub judice and subject to active LCIA arbitration and Federal High Court litigation.
- CEASE AND DESIST: Cease and desist from publishing further unverified, biased, or sponsored narrative leaks designed to prejudice ongoing judicial proceedings and mislead the international energy market.
TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that should you fail, refuse, or neglect to comply with these demands within the stipulated 24-hour window, our clients have given us strict instructions to join Africa Oil + Gas Report, its publishers, and editors as co-defendants/respondents in pending court actions for libel, commercial disparagement, and intentional interference with contractual relations, seeking exemplary damages and punitive costs.
DATED THIS 24TH DAY OF SEPTEMBER 2026.
FOR AND ON BEHALF OF:
TUNJI BRAITHWAITE LAW PARTNERS
Plot 34 Kudirat Abiola Way, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria
Email: legal@tblp.ng / info@tblp.ng
OLAOLUWA BRAITHWAITE, ESQ.
Principal Partner
- The Financial Services Commission (FSC), Mauritius
- The Registrar of Companies, Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Nigeria
- Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, The Chief Executive, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC)
- Udy Ntia, Head of Upstream NNPC Limited
- Matthieu Milandri, Head, Upstream Finance, Trafigura
- Mike Scott, Kroll International – Senior Lender Representative on Chappal Energies Board
- Dr Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, MD, Fidelity Bank
- The London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) Secretariat, London, UK
- International Lender Banks & Compliance Desks (Chappal Energies Syndicate)
