Nigeria – The case of a Ghanaian businessman, Essien Jonah, entangled in a messy and controversial development of high-profile River Park Estate in Abuja, is taking a worrisome dimension as a Ghanaian civil rights organization staged protest on behalf of the said businessman at the Nigeria High Commission in Ghana.
Addressing journalists, the convener of Concerned Citizens of Ghana (CCG), James Clark, expressed worry that his brother, Essien Jonah, is made to suffer unduly in Nigeria, noting that the relationship between the citizens of Nigeria and Ghana is being threatened.
According to him, “We live peacefully with our Nigerian brothers and sisters in Ghana; they are married to our families, everything is going smoothly. Unfortunately, our Ghanaian brothers are being harassed here in Nigeria.
“We want the authorities to talk to the Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police (IGP), the Immigration and the President, so that the existing peaceful relationship between the citizens of the two countries will be sustained.”
Clark, a Ghanaian media practitioner, further stated that, as a patriotic citizen of Ghana, it is his duty to come to the aid of his brothers and sisters, saying, “wherever in the world they are faced with any challenges. Whenever I hear that my brother is being suffered, bullied, or manipulated anywhere in the world, it is our duty (CCG) to call the authorities to order, and allow the businessman to do his business peacefully.”
It would be recalled that Essien Jonah, the Ghanaian real estate developer, spare-heading the development of River Park Estate in Abuja, sued Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Adeolu Egbetokun, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and other top security officials at the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged harassment, violation of fundamental human rights, and suppression of a completed police investigation report.
In the suit, filed by directors of Jonah Capital Nigeria Limited and Houses for Africa Nigeria, Sir Samuel Essien Jonah, Kojo Ansah Mensah, and Victor Quainoo, alongside their counsel, Abu Arome, they joined DCP Akin Fakorede, Head of the IGP Monitoring Unit; FCT Commissioner of Police, Ajao Saka Adewale; EFCC Zonal Commander, Michael Wetkas; EFCC investigator, Eunice Vou Dalyop; and one Kabiru Baba as respondents.
In the case, reference number FHC/ABJ/CS/1130/2025, the Ghanaian businessmen are seeking ₦200 million in exemplary damages for what they described as unlawful intimidation, repeated invitations, and an attempt to suppress the investigation report of an 11-member Special Investigation Panel (SIP), previously set up by the Nigeria Police Force to probe the ownership and development dispute surrounding River Park Estate.
The court’s documents revealed that the police had concluded its investigation and submitted the SIP report to the office of the IGP, who directed that the report be reviewed by the police Legal Department.
“However, despite several formal requests, including letters dated March 20 and April 16, 2025, neither the plaintiffs nor their legal representatives have received access to the report,” the plaintiffs disclosed, and alleged that DCP Fakorede, whose unit previously investigated the case, instituted a fresh probe into the same issues already covered in the SIP’s findings, adding that Fakorede’s renewed efforts culminated in incessant harassment of repeated police invitations, arrest and prolonged interrogation of Kojo Ansah Mensah by the EFCC.
Consequently, Jonah Capital resorted to petitioning the Police Service Commission (PSC) and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), and sought their intervention
In response to the request, a letter from the AGF’s office, dated May 16, 2025, and addressed to the IGP, formally requested the release of the case file and final SIP report. “But the police are yet to comply.”
Efforts of the Ghanaian High Commission in Nigeria, with the Acting High Commissioner, Eddison Mensah Agbenyegah, written to the IGP on April 9, 2025, requesting certified true copies (CTC) of the SIP report, had no impact on the foregoing, despite offering to bear the costs. “That appeal, too, has received no official response.”
In an affidavit sworn to by Kojo Ansah Mensah, he stated that the dispute began in 2013, when Jonah Capital invited Paulo Homes Ltd into a joint venture to process building approvals.
Under the agreement, Paulo Homes was to receive 30% of the land it secured permits for. However, the Ghanaians alleged that Paulo Homes breached the terms, encroached on more land, and later accused them of forgery.
Former partners Adrian Ogunmuyiwa and John Townley-Johnson, who had previously relinquished their interests to Jonah Capital, also resurfaced with forgery allegations. These claims were part of the initial investigation handled by the SIP, which found no evidence warranting criminal charges.
Despite the SIP’s report, Paulo Homes, through its general manager, Giles Azania, submitted a new petition to the IGP on April 10, 2025, demanding another investigation into the same forgery allegations. The IGP Monitoring Unit reportedly began a fresh, inconclusive investigation while continuing to withhold the earlier report.
The plaintiffs now seek a court declaration that the ongoing actions by the police and EFCC violate their constitutional rights to dignity, liberty, property, and freedom of movement, as enshrined in Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
They also seek a perpetual injunction restraining all defendants from further arresting, detaining, or harassing them over a matter they argue is purely civil in nature and best suited for the courts.
Videos and written petitions submitted to the court detail how officers of the Nigerian Police Force have allegedly prevented the Ghanaian developers from accessing their land while allowing rival developers linked to Paulo Homes to build freely on the disputed property.
Legal counsel to the plaintiffs, Adedayo Adedeji (SAN), insists that the continuous targeting of his clients amounts to double jeopardy and abuse of power, calling on the judiciary to compel law enforcement agencies to uphold the rule of law and release the investigative findings.
As the case unfolds, observers from both Nigeria and Ghana are closely watching what could become a defining moment in the legal and diplomatic handling of cross-border business disputes involving foreign investors and Nigeria’s security institutions.
