The Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice has taken over the prosecution of the criminal case arising from the River Park Estate dispute, involving Ghanaian investors and directors of JonahCapital Ltd.
The Nigerian Police Force had, on June 25, filed a 26-count criminal charge before an FCT High Court in Gwarinpa against directors of JonahCapital Ltd — Sam Jonah, Kojo Ansah, Victor Quainoo — along with Mobus Property Nigeria Ltd and their Nigerian lawyer, Abu Arome. The charges alleged the forgery of ownership documents relating to the company.
At the resumed hearing on Thursday, state counsel Aderonke Imana informed the court that the AGF had directed her to assume conduct of the case, citing powers granted under Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution.
“I have the instructions of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation to take over the case from the Nigeria Police Force, so that we can have the opportunity to review the case file because there are a lot of letters and petitions to that effect,” she told the court.
She added that the Nigerian Police had so far not released the case file to the AGF’s office.
In the absence of any objection, Justice Modupe-Osho Adebiyi granted the application and fixed the matter for further hearing on November 11.
Objecting to the charges, directors of JonahCapital and their lawyer argued that the case amounted to the criminalisation of routine filings with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and of land disputes.
They recalled that, in May, they had issued a public notice alleging that the police were attempting to disregard the findings of a 10-man investigative panel. That panel, according to them, had already examined and dismissed similar forgery allegations brought against them by Paul Odili of Paulo Homes, an adverse claimant in the matter.
They further contended that the latest charges were based on a fresh report prepared by the Head of the IGP Monitoring Unit, DCP Akin Fakorede, which, in their view, indicted them without granting them a fair hearing.
It will be recalled that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, had said on Channels TV’s Political Platform on Thursday, September 18, that a ministerial panel on the dispute found that the FCT had signed an agreement with JonahCapital Nigeria Ltd — promoted by Sir Samuel Esson Jonah — as the original allottees of Plot 4, Cadastral Zone E30, Lugbe, Abuja, during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
According to Wike, the dispute arose after JonahCapital engaged a third party, Paulo Homes, to assist in securing building approvals from FCT Development Control in exchange for a shareholding arrangement.
