A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Gwarinpa has struck out criminal charges filed against Ghanaian investors linked to JonahCapital Ltd in connection with the River Park Estate dispute.
Justice Modupe-Osho Adebiyi struck out the case on Tuesday after the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, formally discontinued the prosecution.
The charges, filed by the Nigeria Police Force on June 25, comprised 26 counts against directors of JonahCapital Ltd—Sir Sam Jonah, Kojo Ansah Mensah and Victor Quainoo—as well as Mobus Property Nigeria Ltd and the company’s Nigerian lawyer, Abu Arome. The defendants were accused of forgery relating to company ownership documents.
At the resumed hearing, an assistant state counsel from the AGF’s office, Aishatu Kalthungo, informed the court that she had been instructed to withdraw the charges pursuant to Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution. She said the directive followed an application dated December 30, 2025, and filed on January 2, 2026.
In an earlier decision communicated by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF), the AGF said the charges were withdrawn after a review of investigation reports submitted by the police, including those from the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit and a Special Investigation Panel (SIP).
According to the DPPF, the review found no basis for criminal prosecution against the defendants. “No prima facie case of forgery or related offences as contained in Charge No: CR/402/25 was established,” the DPP stated, adding that the matter was essentially commercial in nature.
The AGF also stated that the police investigation relied upon to initiate the charges did not meet the standard required to establish criminal liability and cautioned against treating contractual or commercial disputes as criminal matters.
The Ministry of Justice noted that the SIP, a 13-member panel led by a deputy commissioner of police, had earlier investigated petitions involving Jonah Capital Nigeria Limited and Houses for Africa Nigeria Limited. Its report, dated March 28, 2025, was described by the AGF as comprehensive.
Separately, the AGF addressed concerns over changes made by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to the shareholding records of Jonah Capital Nigeria Limited and Houses for Africa Nigeria Limited on December 8, 2025, despite pending court cases and notifications from the AGF’s office. The Registrar-General of the CAC was directed to restore the companies’ records to their previous status.
The AGF also directed the Nigeria Police Force to investigate allegations of property damage, intimidation and assault reported within the estate and to ensure security for residents.
While the criminal charges have been struck out, the Ministry of Justice noted that the CAC is yet to comply fully with the directive to reverse the disputed changes to the companies’ records.