Attorney General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Issues Order to End Criminal Proceedings Against Ghanaian Businessman Sir Samuel Esson Jonah and Three Others
The Attorney General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has issued an order to terminate criminal proceedings against Ghanaian businessman Sir Samuel Esson Jonah and three others.
This follows the conclusion of an investigation that found no prima facie case established against Sir Jonah, owner of real estate company Jonah Capital Nigeria Limited; Kojo Ansah Mensah, Chief Executive Officer of Jonah Capital; 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 a dispute lasting over a year between Jonah Capital Nigeria Limited and Houses for Africa Nigeria Limited over the ownership of a property in River Park Estate at Lugbe, Nigeria.
The decision to terminate proceedings against the four individuals 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 Attorney General, Lateef Fagbemi SAN, determined that the 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 did not meet the required burden and standard of proof needed to establish any criminality against the four businessmen. The letter finds that “no prima facie case of forgery, fraud, and other related offenses has been established against Sir Jonah and his business partners.”
The letter further 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.”
Mr. 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 turn a commercial dispute into a criminal matter, contrary to Nigeria’s Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
The Attorney General also raised concerns about a police press conference held on June 27, 2025, during which some persons were publicly identified as owners and managers of the River Park Estate without any judicial determination. He described such pronouncements as inappropriate and exceeding 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 taking 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 persons acting on the orders of one Paul Odili. The Nigeria Police Force was further directed to ensure the safety of residents of the affected property and allow for the peaceful enjoyment of the estate.
Sir Samuel Jonah petitioned Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, over the matter last December, requesting 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.
PHOTO OF KOJO ANSAH MENSAH(CEO, JONAH CAPITAL NIGERIA LIMITED)
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 his intervention in upholding the rule of law. In a release, Mr. Mensah noted 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.
Mr. Mensah shared that, prior to the Attorney General’s decision, his company 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 that 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.
Mr. Mensah thanked the Attorney General for the “painstaking” review of their case, which he said 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 Okudzeto 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 resolve the case.
The CEO of Jonah Capital Nigeria Limited also thanked residents of River Park Estate who were affected by the dispute. He reaffirmed the company’s commitment to Nigeria as unwavering and promised to continue contributing meaningfully to the growth and development of Nigeria’s economy as foreign investors.
Kojo Ansah Mensah noted that the directive by the Attorney General 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 wish to deal with River Park Estate, the property under dispute, to exercise extreme caution, as the alleged bearers of the altered status report may impersonate owners of Jonah Capital Nigeria Limited and Houses for Africa Nigeria Limited while the matter is still being determined in court.