The Nigerian faction of JonahCapital Nigeria Limited has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over Mr Samuel Jonah’s claim of 300 million dollars investment in a disputed Abuja estate.
The faction, led by the company’s founder and director, Dr Adeniran Ogunmuyiwa, alleged that the claim by Jonah, the Ghanaian led faction’s involvement in infrastructure investment at River Park Estate, Abuja was false.
Ogunmuyiwa, in a petition dated Aug. 10 and received by the EFCC on Aug. 11, urged the commission to investigate the alleged investment and establish whether the money was actually brought into Nigeria and applied to the project.
The petitioner asked the EFCC to demand evidence including Certificates of Capital Importation (CCI), bank statements, foreign inward remittance records, Central Bank of Nigeria documentation, foreign exchange records, investment agreements, audited accounts and payment records.
He also requested evidence of payments allegedly made for the acquisition, development or financing of the River Park project, as well as records showing payments to contractors and suppliers.
Ogunmuyiwa described the arbitration in respect of the property at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) as another scheme to defraud the country of hundreds of millions of dollars over investments that were never made.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, had recently confirmed that Nigeria had been dragged before the ICC in France over the dispute surrounding Plot 4, Cadastral Zone E30, Lugbe West, Abuja, otherwise known as River Park
The property, acquired by JonahCapital Nigeria Limited via a Development Lease Agreement, DLA, in 2007, has been the subject of a legal battle between Nigerian investors and their Ghanaian counterparts over authentic ownership.
Following the termination of the lease agreement last year, the Ghanaian faction commenced arbitration against the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) on grounds that the agreement was valid until 2030.
Ogunmuyiwa, while also reacting in a Letter of Disavowal to the FCT Minister, said that the company had at no time invested in the development of River Park Estate.
He said that the Ghanaians had no right to make any claim on behalf of JonahCapital, especially as they are neither owners nor directors of the company.
“We have become aware of the news going round and the arbitral proceeding purportedly commenced by JonahCapital Nigeria Limited against the Federal Government.
”It is a blatant attempt to defraud the Federal Government by foreign actors who have no right whatsoever,” he said.
Ogunmuyiwa said that an ownership tussle within JonahCapital had resulted in several alterations between 2024 and 2026, adding that the company was not incorporated by the Ghanaians laying claim to it and was not sold to them.
He further said that Jonah manipulated documents in February 2024 to lay claim to ownership of JonahCapital, and that no infrastructure was provided by the company on the disputed property.
“Most importantly is the fact that the said Samuel Jonah now claims at the ICC that JonahCapital Nigeria Limited provided infrastructure worth over three hundred million dollars in River Park Estate. This is a clear fraud,” he said.
The petitioner said that the infrastructure in River Park Estate was funded by Paulo Homes Limited, with whom JonahCapital had an agreement, and that the financial commitment ran into billions of naira.
According to him, Jonah was admitted as a shareholder in 2007 on the understanding that he would contribute capital, but failed to do so and was removed as a shareholder in 2008.
The letter added that Jonah was never appointed a director and therefore had no lawful authority to hold himself out as one, but allegedly began signing and presenting himself as a director after resurfacing years later.
The Nigerian faction urged the EFCC to investigate the role of Kojo Mensah, the relationship between him and Samuel Jonah, and whether documents submitted in the arbitral proceedings were false or fabricated.
He said that if persons with no legitimate proprietary interest were presenting a fictitious investment history before an international tribunal to secure economic benefits, it goes beyond a commercial disagreement and warrants immediate investigation.
The petitioner urged the commission to commence a comprehensive investigation into the activities of Jonah, Mensah, and all others who may have participated in the matter, and to bring to book all persons found culpable. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Kadiri Abdulrahman