River Park: AGF takes over court case as police delay in handing over files

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has waded into the ownership dispute over River Park Estate, Abuja.

The minister office took over the criminal charges earlier filed by the police against Ghanaian investors behind JonahCapital Ltd and their Nigerian lawyer.

The 26-count suit accuse Sir Sam Jonah and other directors of the firm of forging documents relating to ownership of the estate.

They were first filed by the police at an FCT High Court in Gwarinpa on June 25.

At Thursday’s proceedings, state counsel, Aderonke Imana, told the court that she had clear instructions from the AGF to assume control of the case under Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution.

She explained that the takeover was necessary given the deluge of petitions on the matter, though the police were yet to hand over the case file.

Justice Modupe-Osho Adebiyi granted the application and adjourned the matter till November 11.

But the investors pushed back, warning that what ought to be civil disputes and routine filings with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) were now being criminalised.

They accused the police of suppressing the findings of a 10-man investigative panel that had earlier cleared them of forgery claims by Paul Odili of Paulo Homes.

The investors further alleged that the fresh charges stemmed from a hurried report signed by the Head of the IGP Monitoring Unit, DCP Akin Fakorede, without granting them fair hearing.

Recall that the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, had disclosed last week that a ministerial panel confirmed JonahCapital Nigeria Ltd as the original owners of Plot 4, Cadastral Zone E30, Lugbe, signed under the Obasanjo administration, before a fallout with Paulo Homes, whom they engaged for building approvals.