Houses for Africa Nigeria Limited has written to Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Anthony Aikhunegbe Malik, alleging that he filed a suit in the company’s name without authorisation.
In a letter to Chief Malik, the firm stated that neither its board nor management approved the action purportedly filed by his law firm, A.A. Malik & Co, against the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).
The company demanded the immediate withdrawal of the suit and requested written evidence of compliance. It warned that failure to comply would lead to petitions to law enforcement agencies, the Body of Benchers, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, and the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee.
Houses for Africa also raised concerns about the transfer of the case from Court 38 to Court 37 in Jikwoyi, and the assignment of the matter to Justice Mohammed Zubairu of the FCT High Court, despite other pending cases on the same subject. It described the process as questionable and urged the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to ensure that the integrity of ministerial decisions on the River Park Estate crisis is maintained.
The letter to the Minister was signed by the company’s Managing Director/CEO, Kojo Ansah Mensah.
When contacted, Chief Malik maintained that he had been properly briefed in writing by Houses for Africa, a claim denied by the company’s CEO. The firm said it had notified the Minister and threatened to petition the Nigerian Bar Association’s Disciplinary Committee and the Body of Benchers if the lawyer failed to withdraw the suit.
The River Park Estate dispute has drawn attention in Abuja following multiple lawsuits and counterclaims involving developers and corporate entities. Legal experts say the case highlights issues of professional conduct and due process in the handling of estate-related litigation in the FCT.