The legal battle between an Abuja-based couple, Mr. Adetunji Conde and Mrs. Ajoke Amudat Conde, and a serving judge, Mabel Segun-Bello, has escalated into what relatives and rights advocates now describe as a life-threatening human rights crisis.
New updates obtained by SaharaReporters from the couple’s family indicate that Mr. Conde’s health has deteriorated sharply while in detention at Keffi Old Prison, where he is reportedly battling stage-one renal failure after months in custody over a ₦100 million investment dispute.
Family members warn that the situation is rapidly worsening and could become fatal if urgent medical care is not provided.
According to relatives, Conde had been managing several chronic conditions, including diabetes, hypertension and an enlarged prostate, before his arrest in 2025.
Since his incarceration, they say, the lack of specialised care has pushed his health toward kidney failure.
A source familiar with the case told SaharaReporters: “Although the court is aware of his worsening medical condition, he was directed to seek treatment within the prison facility, which unfortunately does not have the necessary medical equipment or capacity to manage his condition.”
Family members say the continued detention despite his condition effectively amounts to a medical death sentence.
Controversial Bail Delays and Judicial ‘Reset’
Conde also described what he alleges were repeated delays and irregularities in the handling of his bail.
In a message sent to SaharaReporters on Thursday, he recounted the process after his wife was granted bail.
“In the court of the second magistrate in Wuse II, after the stringent bail conditions had been varied and met and my wife released, it took the magistrate five days to approve my own surety,” he said.
He added that even after verification of the surety’s residence and workplace, additional delays occurred.
“Upon the verification of the abode and office of the surety, it took almost another two weeks for the prosecutor to come and sign in court,” he said.
According to Conde, the matter took an unexpected turn when the magistrate suspended both the case and his bail indefinitely.
“On the set day, the Magistrate ruled that both the case and my bail had been put on indefinite suspension due to the fact that powerful people are interested in the case,” he said.
He further claimed that the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory later intervened.
“The CJ of Abuja ordered that my bail should be immediately granted and that both the Director of Magistracy and the Magistrate should be petitioned for explanation on this ruling,” he said.
However, Conde said the directive was never implemented, adding, “Instead of carrying out the order, the so-called Magistrate recused himself from the matter. A conviction without a trial.”
The case has since been transferred to a third magistrate court, where the presiding magistrate imposed a mandatory payment of N100 million into an interest‑bearing account as a bail condition. Meanwhile, the trial has continued to be adjourned repeatedly without explanation.
Alleged Police Interference
Conde also accused officers attached to the Nigeria Police Force of interfering with evidence in the case.
He claimed that a police team allegedly deleted key WhatsApp messages from his phone.
“Through a WhatsApp message which has been deleted by the police, the case from 2025 has spilled over into 2026,” he said.
He further alleged intimidation by investigators.
“The police team led by Funmi PPRO FCID who deleted all evidence on my phone has vowed to re-arrest me when granted bail and have sent their men to be present at every court proceeding.”
The Dispute Behind the Case
The conflict stems from a ₦100 million investment allegedly made by Justice Segun-Bello in the couple’s company, Elizabeth and Esther Nigeria Limited.
Conde insists the matter is purely contractual and should have been handled through civil litigation.
“I have refused to defraud the five states we signed for by giving them ₦700 million on an investment of ₦100 million,” he said.
“I have also sent them how their monies will be refunded since 2024,” he said but Justice Segun-Bello has refused. He wondered how they want him to pay back the money.
According to him, the repayment plan, send to him, were among the messages allegedly removed from his phone.
Human Rights Concerns
SaharaReporters had previously reported that a prominent human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) had petitioned the then-Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, describing the prosecution as unlawful.
Falana argued that the use of police powers to enforce a private financial dispute violates long-standing Supreme Court rulings.
He also questioned why Mrs. Conde was included in the charges despite her alleged lack of involvement in the business transaction.
In petitions submitted to the FCT High Court and the Directorate of Magistracy, the couple had expressed a lack of confidence in the fairness of the trial process.
They alleged that Justice Segun-Bello had claimed influence over the magistrate courts.
“We have also been told that the sureties would be blackmailed to withdraw under undue pressure,” the couple wrote in their petition.
They further alleged that the judge had vowed to keep them behind bars for an extended period.
Claims of a Courtroom Setup
The couple also maintains that their earlier failure to appear in court, which led to the revocation of their bail, was deliberately orchestrated.
Conde alleged that plainclothes officers intercepted them on the morning of the hearing and drove them around Abuja for hours.
“They were only asking us where the balance of the ₦100 million was,” he said.
“By the time they allowed us to go, the presiding magistrate had already revoked our bail and issued a bench warrant for our absence.”
Plea for Intervention
Conde says he has written to several security agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Department of State Services, the National Intelligence Agency, and the Defence Intelligence Agency, seeking investigations into the case.
He claims none of the agencies have acted since his detention.
“My family is living under constant fear of being abducted or killed because of a civil contract,” he said.
In a final appeal, Conde warned that the situation had become a matter of life and death.
“I hereby call on well-meaning Nigerians to save me from this summary conviction that has now become a death sentence,” he said.
With the matter now restarting before a third magistrate, Conde’s family and legal team say the repeated procedural resets and strict bail conditions have effectively kept him incarcerated while his health deteriorates.
They are demanding the immediate withdrawal of criminal charges and the unconditional release of Adetunji Conde so he can receive urgent medical treatment outside prison custody.
Without intervention, they warn, the dispute risks turning into a fatal miscarriage of justice.
Source: SaharaReporters
