Matilda Omonaiye/
A Ghanaian civil society group, Concerned Citizens of Ghana, has called on President John Dramani Mahama to engage the Nigerian government over what it described as the persistent harassment of Jonah Capital, a Ghanaian-owned company with substantial investments in Nigeria.
The group said diplomatic intervention had become necessary to protect the company’s investments and safeguard the welfare of Ghanaians working in Nigeria.
Its convener, Mr Samuel A. Clark, made the call at a press conference in Accra, where he also appealed to the Chief of Staff and the Minister of Foreign Affairs to take up the matter with Nigerian authorities.
Clark said Jonah Capital had operated legally in Nigeria for several years without major disruption until recent developments surrounding its flagship investment, River Park Estate in Abuja.
According to him, the company encountered challenges in 2025, but intervention by the Nigerian government, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Inspector-General of Police, helped restore calm and allowed operations to resume.
He, however, alleged that fresh trouble erupted about three weeks ago when officials of Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory Administration, accompanied by armed security personnel, entered River Park Estate.
Clark claimed that the operation resulted in the destruction of property and the intimidation of staff, residents and customers.
He questioned the deployment of force, arguing that the underlying dispute was already before an international arbitration panel and remained the subject of judicial and arbitral proceedings.
The convener further claimed that Nigeria’s Attorney-General had previously reviewed allegations of forgery involving officials of Jonah Capital and found no basis for prosecution.
According to him, the Attorney-General subsequently directed the withdrawal of the criminal case, which was struck out by a High Court in Abuja in January.
Clark expressed concern that despite the court’s decision, the company had again come under pressure from another arm of the Nigerian government.
He alleged that armed personnel had entered sections of River Park Estate, including the Gallery Clubhouse, and damaged company assets.
Clark also alleged attempts to unlawfully alter the company’s shareholding structure, claiming that reported incidents of assault, intimidation and destruction of property at the estate had not been investigated.
Drawing a comparison with the treatment of Nigerian investments in Ghana, he said several Nigerian-owned banks and companies continued to operate freely in the country and repatriate their profits without undue interference.
Clark cited Ghana’s handling of the 2020 demolition of a building on the premises of the Nigerian High Commission in Accra as evidence of the country’s commitment to protecting foreign interests and maintaining cordial bilateral relations.
He therefore urged President Mahama’s administration to engage its Nigerian counterpart through diplomatic channels to ensure the protection of Ghanaian investments and citizens, while allowing all disputes involving Jonah Capital to be resolved through lawful judicial and arbitral processes.
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