Nigerian court dismisses criminal charges against Samuel Jonah in River Park Estate dispute

The Attorney General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has issued an order for the end to criminal proceedings against Sir Samuel Edson Jonah, a Ghanaian businessman, and three others.

This follows a conclusion from an investigation that no prima facie case was established against Sir Jonah, owner of real estate company JonahCapital Nigeria Limited; Kojo Ansah Mensah, chief executive officer of JonahCapital; Victor Quainoo; and Abu Arome for alleged forgery, fraudulent activities, and other related criminal offences.

The investigation conducted by the office of the Attorney-General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria comes after over a year-long dispute between Jonah Capital Nigeria Limited and Houses for Africa Nigeria Limited over the ownership of a property in the River Park Estate at Lugbe, in Nigeria.

The decision to terminate proceedings against the four investors was communicated in an official letter from the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, M.B. Abubakar, following a comprehensive review of police case files and investigations.

The A-G, Lateef Fagbemi SAN, determined that allegations of forgery, fraud and related offences against Mr Samuel Esson Jonah, Mr Kojo Ansah Mensah, Mr Victor Quainoo and Mr Abu Arome could not be sustained.

The Attorney-General’s Office also noted that investigations conducted by the Nigeria Police Force in the matter did not meet the required burden and standard of proof needed to establish any criminalities against the four businessmen.

The letter by the AGF finds, “No prima facie case of forgery, fraud and other related offences has been established against Sir Jonah and his business partners.”

The letter also confirmed the findings of a Special Investigation Panel on petitions regarding Jonah Capital Nigeria Limited, Houses for Africa Nigeria Limited and the River Park Estate in Lugbe in March 2025 as “valid, comprehensive and unbiased”.

Lateef Fagbemi SAN, however, questioned the conclusions of the investigation by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit, describing them as “highly misleading” and criticising attempts to make a commercial dispute a criminal matter, contrary to Nigeria’s Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.

The A-G in his correspondence also raised concerns about a police press conference that took place on June 27, 2025, during which some persons were publicly identified as owners and managers of the River Park Estate without any judicial determination.

The Attorney General said such pronouncements were inappropriate and exceeded the lawful authority of the police.

The Attorney-General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has, therefore, directed Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to immediately reverse any administrative actions taken against the affected companies based on the disputed police investigation report.

The CAC was also cautioned against steps that could prejudice ongoing court processes. Significantly, the Attorney General requested fresh investigations into allegations of criminal intimidation, assault and destruction of property at the River Park Estate, allegedly involving some persons acting on the orders of one Paul Odili.

The Nigeria Police Force was further asked to ensure the safety of residents of the affected property and allow for the peaceful enjoyment of property at the estate.

Sir Samuel Jonah petitioned Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, over the matter last December, asking for the government’s diplomatic assistance after alleging the unlawful seizure of his investments in Abuja’s River Park Estate by the CAC.

The foreign minister, consequently, petitioned ECOWAS on the matter during the 95th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers, held in Abuja, Nigeria, from Wednesday, December 10, to Friday, December 12.



Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of Jonah Capital Nigeria Limited, Kojo Ansah Mensah, has commended the Attorney General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN, for the intervention in upholding the rule of law.

A release by Mensah notes that the intervention has restored confidence and renewed hope among foreign investors and the business community that Nigeria remains a country governed by laws, due process, and institutional accountability.

Kojo Ansah Mensah shares that, prior to the decision by the Attorney-General, his company, Jonah Capital Nigeria Limited, was concerned by a series of actions that compelled them to question the integrity of the system.

These included the refusal of the Nigeria Police Force, to release an earlier Special Investigation Panel (SIP) report which had fully investigated the dispute, an alleged extra-judicial expropriation of their shares and a purported alteration of their corporate records in December 2025 by the

Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, SAN, who based his action on a police report without the benefit of any judicial determination.

Mensah thanked the Attorney-General for the “painstaking” review of their case, which he noted reaffirmed the presumption of innocence and the centrality of due process in Nigeria’s justice system.

He also expressed gratitude to President Ahmed Tinubu, president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; President John Dramani Mahama; Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration; Mohammed Baba Jamal Ahmed, Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria; and other personalities, who, through their support, helped with the cases.

The CEO of Jonah Capital Nigeria Limited also thanked residents of River Park, who were affected by the dispute. He reaffirmed their commitment to Nigeria as unwavering and promised to continue to contribute meaningfully to the growth and development of Nigeria’s economy as foreign investors.

Kojo Ansah Mensah noted that the directive by the Attorney-General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the Registrar-General of the CAC to reverse the extra-judicial expropriation of their shares and the tampering of their corporate records will ultimately reinforce Nigeria’s commitment to justice, transparency, and economic progress.

He, however, warned individuals, investors, financial institutions, and corporate entities who may want to deal with River Park Estate, the property under dispute, to exercise extreme caution, because the alleged bearers of the altered status report may impersonate owners of Jonah Capital Nigeria Limited and House of Africa Nigeria Limited while the matter is still being determined in court.