Nigerian Trade Minister, Authorities Accused Of Complicity, Silence In River Park Estate Crisis Amid ECOWAS Petition

SaharaReporters had reported that the Nigerian minister of industry, trade and investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, was petitioned by two Abuja-based firms, the Jonah Capital Limited and Houses for Africa Limited, to probe the excesses of the Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, SAN.

As the Ghanaian government formally petitions the River Park Estate dispute to the ECOWAS Court, Nigeria’s corporate regulators, police authorities and key government officials have been accused of inaction on the incident.

SaharaReporters had reported that the Nigerian minister of industry, trade and investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, was petitioned by two Abuja-based firms, the Jonah Capital Limited and Houses for Africa Limited, to probe the excesses of the Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, SAN.

Petitioning on behalf of the two firms, Ghanaian investor, Sir Samuel Esson Jonah, KBE, had asked the Nigerian trade minister to investigate the “unlawful expropriation of shares, extrajudicial removal of directors and retrospective invalidation of corporate filings” by the CAC Registrar-General, Magaji.

In the petition dated 8 December 2025, Jonah had accused the CAC Registrar-General of unilaterally reversing nearly two decades of corporate records relating to JonahCapital Nigeria Ltd and Houses for Africa Nigeria Ltd.  Sources on Saturday said that the Nigerian trade minister had maintained suprising silence as the Nigerian regulatory authorities face scrutiny over investors protection and abuse of power.

"The actions of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), under Registrar-General Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, SAN, have emerged as a flashpoint in the dispute," a source lamented.

According to JonahCapital CEO, Kojo Mensah, the CAC falsely claimed that the company failed to attend reconciliation meetings — an assertion contradicted by video evidence publicly posted by the Registrar-General himself.

Mensah insists that CAC’s unilateral reversal of corporate filings dating back nearly two decades has destabilised ownership of River Park Estate and threatens investor confidence beyond Nigeria’s borders.

With Ghana now petitioning ECOWAS, diplomatic sources warn that the CAC’s conduct risks placing Nigeria and Ghana on a collision course.

"Despite being formally petitioned by JonahCapital and Houses for Africa Limited, Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, has also remained publicly silent.

"The petition was for her to probe the CAC Registrar-General over unlawful expropriation of shares, extrajudicial removal of directors and retrospective invalidation of filings, actions that are unconstitutional and economically dangerous," the source noted.

Sources say the minister’s silence has only deepened suspicions of regulatory capture or political shielding, especially as foreign investment implications mount.

Questions are also being raised about the role of Nigeria’s Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, SAN.

JonahCapital alleges that CAC wrote misleading letters to the AGF claiming the company failed to attend meetings. Mensah insists this narrative is false and contradicted by evidence.

Legal observers now ask whether delays or inaction at the level of the AGF are inadvertently enabling administrative overreach and undermining judicial processes already before the Federal High Court.

Another unresolved issue is the role played by the Commissioner of Police, Akin Fakorede, whose involvement in the River Park Estate matter has drawn scrutiny from both Nigerian and Ghanaian stakeholders.

It was learnt that police actions in the dispute went beyond routine investigation, raising concerns about selective enforcement, intimidation and possible abuse of authority in a civil-commercial dispute.

Perhaps most troubling is the apparent disappearance — or continued non-release—of the Special Investigation Panel (SIP) report compiled by the Nigerian police on the River Park Estate dispute.

Stakeholders say the failure to publish or act on the SIP findings has fuelled speculation that the report’s conclusions may be politically inconvenient or contradict official narratives.

Speaking on JoyTV Ghana, Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Baba Jamal, had confirmed that Accra has now formally petitioned ECOWAS after earlier diplomatic efforts failed.

“We did not want to escalate this matter because we did not want this particular case to affect the excellent relationship between Ghana and Nigeria,” Jamal said.

“But some individuals are trying to push their power to take over things that do not belong to them.”

He disclosed that Ghana has submitted comprehensive documentation to ECOWAS and expects adjudication at the ECOWAS Court.