Matilda Omonaiye/
The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, has formally overturned a controversial investigation by the Nigeria Police Force Monitoring Unit, clearing prominent Ghanaian investors of all criminal allegations and directing a reversal of disputed corporate filings.
The decision was conveyed in an official circular issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF) to the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, following a comprehensive review of investigation files submitted by the police.
Referenced DPPA/REQ/224/25 and dated December 30, 2025, the circular unequivocally ruled that there was no basis for criminal prosecution against Sir Samuel Esson Jonah and his associates – Kojo Ansah Mensah, Victor Quainoo and Abu Arome, Esq.
According to the DPPF, “No prima facie case of forgery and other related offences as contained in Charge No: CR/402/25 has been established against the aforementioned individuals.”
Consequently, the 26-count charge of fraud and forgery earlier announced by the police was discontinued in its entirety.
The AGF also affirmed the findings of a 13-man Special Investigation Panel (SIP) that had earlier examined petitions involving Jonah Capital Nigeria Limited and Houses for Africa Nigeria Limited, describing the panel’s report as “valid, comprehensive, unbiased.”
By contrast, the Monitoring Unit’s probe was faulted as misleading and legally defective for criminalising what the AGF said was essentially a commercial and contractual dispute, contrary to Section 8(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
In a sharp rebuke, the AGF ruled unlawful and prejudicial the June 2025 press conference at which police officials publicly accused the investors, stressing that the police lack jurisdiction to determine land ownership or adjudicate contractual disputes.
“The Nigeria Police do not possess jurisdiction to independently determine land ownership or adjudicate contractual disputes,” the circular says.
The controversy centres on River Park Estate, where tensions escalated amid allegations of encroachment and violence. The investors had accused the Monitoring Unit of suppressing the SIP report and launching a unilateral investigation, a claim detailed in a petition dated May 22, 2025.
The matter further drew regional attention after Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, petitioned ECOWAS, alleging harassment of Ghanaian investments in Nigeria.
In another key directive, the AGF ordered the Corporate Affairs Commission to restore the ownership and shareholding of the affected companies to the status quo ante, reversing alterations reportedly made on December 8, 2025, while the dispute was sub judice.
The AGF also flagged unresolved allegations of violence within the estate, noting that claims of destruction of property, criminal intimidation and assault “remain uninvestigated,” and called for appropriate action.
The ruling effectively brings to a close the criminal aspect of the dispute, reasserting the boundary between civil commercial disagreements and criminal law enforcement, while ordering corrective steps to protect investor confidence and due process.
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