Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has debunked the claim by a Ghanaian businessman, Sam Jonah, that he allocated 501 hectares of land to him to set up River Park Estate, Abuja.
Sir Jonah, a Knight of British Empire, and two other Ghanaians, namely: Kojo Ansah and Victor Quainoo as well as an Abuja-based legal practitioner, Abu Arome and a company, Mobus Property Nigeria Ltd, are to be arraigned before Justice Modupe-Osho Adebiyi of High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) over their alleged involvement in the forgery of company documents files at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) Abuja, in a bid to illegally takeover Houses for Africa Nigeria Ltd, Jonah Capital Nigeria Ltd and also assume ownership control of River Park Estate Abuja.
Obasanjo’s clarification was contained in a reply letter dated July 10, 2025, which he wrote to the inspector-general of police (IGP).
In the letter dated July 4, 2025, the IGP requested the former president to confirm whether Sam Jonah’s claim that he (OBJ) allocated 501 hectares of land to him for the purpose of developing River Park Estate was true or false.
In a petition he wrote to the police in the wake of the feud over the ownership of River Park Estate, Sam Jonah claimed that Obasanjo gave him the large expanse of land housing one of Abuja’s biggest estates.
However, acting on the petition relating to the ownership dispute of the estate, Lugbe, and its affiliate companies, the police, after a discrete and thorough investigation, released its forensic report dated November 29, 2024, and a final report dated 27th June, 2025.
“The claim of Sam Jonah that I invited him to allocate 501 hectares of land to him or his company or one single plot of land for that matter is absolutely untrue, fictitious, misleading and libellous,” Obasanjo stated.
Obasanjo’s response is consistent with his earlier letter to the Police, dated 1 July 2025, in which he categorically said that if Sam Jonah said he (OBJ) allocated any land to him at all, he was completely mistaken in his recollection.
Nevertheless, while the police waited for Obasanjo’s response in furtherance of their investigation on Jonah’s petition, Abu Arome ran to the media to announce that the IGP had ordered a fresh inquiry into an already concluded investigation.
It was learnt from a good source that the IGP did not order a fresh investigation as erroneously and deliberately perceived by Arome.
It will be recalled that the accused persons are being prosecuted on a 26-count charge filed against them by the Nigerian Police over their alleged involvement in forging company documents and filing them at the CAC Abuja.
The charge, signed by Isa Garba, prosecuting counsel, legal/prosecution section, Force headquarters, Abuja, and Maureen Okonkwo, Registrar, High Court of the FCT, Abuja, and marked CR/402/2025, was dated June 25th but filed on June 26th, 2025.
Specifically, the complainant (IGP) alleged that the accused persons had illegally increased the company’s share capital and allocated 99 million shares to themselves using falsified documents and forged signatures. They also falsely presented themselves as Nigerian citizens to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to facilitate their alleged fraudulent activities.
Recall that in a bid to prove its case of fraud, forgery, impersonation, etc., against the defendants, the police have listed several exhibits alongside the charge, namely letters of petition to the inspector general of police and commissioner of police, FCT Command, respectively.
Also attached to the charge are copies of the final police investigation report, police investigation report, statements of the defendants, and a letter of relinquishment of 8,000,000 shares allegedly signed by John Townley Johnson on Houses for Africa Holding Inc. letterhead, which police, through forensic analysis, have confirmed to be forged.
Other exhibits include the board resolution of Houses for Africa Nigeria Ltd. dated 9th September 2013, appointing and removing directors, various status reports of Houses for Africa Nigeria Ltd, and Jonahcapital Nigeria Ltd, all done through fraudulent means.
The charge was also accompanied by forensic reports from Key Forensics Ltd. and the Nigerian Police dated 29 November 2025.
Furthermore, the board resolution used to remove Nigerian directors from Jonahcapital Nigeria Ltd/Houses for Africa Nigeria Ltd, the board resolution used to increase the share capital of Houses for Africa and Jonahcapital, and the title documents processed in Mobus Property Nigeria Ltd. were equally listed as exhibits by the police, as they were done without authority and fraudulently.
