Sam Jonah details how Nigerian Police, businessman allegedly schemed to takeover his business

Ghanaian business tycoon Sir Sam Jonah has filed several petitions over what he describes as the illegal takeover of two of his businesses in Nigeria, JonahCapital Nigeria Ltd and Houses for Africa Nigeria Ltd, allegedly orchestrated by a prominent Nigerian businessman, Paul Odili, owner of Paulo Homes.

In the petitions, addressed to Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Sir Sam Jonah outlined the sequence of events that led to the decision by the Registrar-General of Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, to expropriate some of his shares in the companies, remove their directors, and invalidate their corporate filings.

According to him, the Registrar-General took these actions based on a police report relating to a dispute, despite a court injunction restraining such action, as well as a directive from the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) of Nigeria halting further steps in the dispute over the ownership of the River Park Estate.

Sam Jonah stated that the police report, issued by the IGP Monitoring Unit, overruled a report by a Special Investigation Panel (SIP) established by the IGP, which had been set up to investigate allegations of forgery against Paul Odili, who was claiming ownership of the River Park Estate.

“However, just before the SIP report could be given to the parties, Paulo Homes clandestinely requested a further investigation of the petition and complaint already investigated by the SIP vide a petition dated April 10, 2025, to the IGP Monitoring Unit (how a report that is yet to be released to any of the parties could be the subject of Paul Odili’s later petition, which in effect is an appeal/review of the SIP report, remains a mystery to us). The IGP Monitoring Unit interestingly approved the said petition on the same date of April 10, 2025, that the petition was submitted to them.

“DCP Akin Fakorede, of the IGP Monitoring Unit, single-handedly jettisoned what the ten-man SIP panel painstakingly investigated and hurriedly generated a second investigation report, which was released via a telecast on June 27, 2025. The said report shockingly indicted Sir Sam and other officers of the company, and further declared Paul Odili of Paulo Homes the owner of River Park Estate, even when he is aware that the ownership is being contested,” parts of Sam Jonah’s petition to Okudzeto Ablakwa read.

Sam Jonah cries foul over alleged takeover of his Nigerian businesses

The Ghanaian business mogul accused Paul Odili of falsely claiming to the public that he owns the River Park Estate, which is actually owned by Sam Jonah.

He added that Odili’s company, along with two others, has been encroaching on the park’s land and has even sold some properties belonging to his companies.

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“While JONAHCAPITAL NIGERIA LIMITED is the sole holder of the Development Lease Agreement, it recognised other third-party developers, including Common Consult operated by Adeniran Ogunmuyiwa (140 hectares) and Paulo Homes operated by Paul Odili (66 hectares). Each party operated within its allocation and exclusive of the other. It was the encroachment of Common Consult and Paulo Homes into the portions of land belonging to Sir Sam Esson Jonah (JONAHCAPITAL NIGERIA LIMITED and HFA, Nigeria) that has further deepened the crisis in River Park Estate.

“However, Paul Odili has consistently misrepresented to unsuspecting members of the public that he is the owner of River Park Estate, JonahCapital Nigeria Limited and Houses for Africa Nigeria. He has also falsely held out himself to government agencies, particularly FCTA and all other departments under it, as the owner of River Park Estate. Paul Odili and his company, Paulo Homes, have been illegally interfering with the proprietary interest of JONAHCAPITAL NIGERIA LIMITED and HFA, Nigeria, to unlawfully apply for and collect land title documents (Rights of Occupancy/Certificates of Occupancy), sell lands, and develop areas belonging to JONAHCAPITAL NIGERIA LIMITED and HOUSES FOR AFRICA NIGERIA LIMITED using letterheads dishonestly without our consent or authority. With this malicious misrepresentation,” he said.

He added, “Paul Odili has wrecked serious havoc on our business interest in River Park Estate, including selling our properties in excess of 120 hectares in various clusters of the estate, such as Clusters 1A and 5A.”

Sir Sam Jonah requested that Okudzeto Ablakwa engage Nigeria’s Attorney-General to review the police report on which the Registrar-General relied to take action against his companies.

He further urged the Foreign Minister “to, in the course of these engagements, demand the immediate reversal of the unlawful alterations to preserve our assets from being dissipated while the cases in court are being determined” and to “alert ECOWAS of the breach of regional investment protections.”

Similar petitions were filed by the Managing Director of the companies, Kojo Ansah Mensah, at Nigeria’s House of Representatives and the country’s Independent Corrupt Practices Commission.

Read the full petition below:



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