The Federal High Court in Abuja has restrained the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Olukayode Egbetokun, the Commissioner of Police of the FCT, Ajao Saka Adewale, and the Head of the IGP Monitoring Unit at the Force Headquarters, DCP Akin Fakorede, and others from alleged continuous violation and obstruction in connection with the River Park Estate dispute.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu, in a ruling on an ex parte motion, yesterday, ordered the parties before him not to take any action that will foist a “fait accompli” on the court in the matter.
The judge fixed June 26 for the commencement of the hearing on the land dispute. This is as protesters, yesterday, stormed the Nigerian High Commission in Accra, Ghana, demanding fair treatment to Ghanaian businesses in Abuja, and Nigeria as a whole.
The developers of River Park Estate, JonahCapital Ltd and Houses for Africa Ltd, Samuel Esson Jonah, Kojo Ansah Mensah, Victor Quainoo, and their legal practitioner Abu Arome, had in their fundamental rights enforcement suit, sought among others, an interim injunction restraining the police, EFCC and other parties before the court.
Others joined in the suit, with reference number FHC/ABJ/CS/1130/2025 before a Federal High Court, Abuja, are the FCT Zonal Commander of the EFCC, Mr Michael Wetkas, an EFCC investigator, Eunice Vou Dalyop, also an ACE 1; and one Kabiru Baba.
The suit arose due to several petitions over the alleged trespass and ownership of the estate, which forced the IGP to set up a Special Investigation Panel (SIP) to harmonise and investigate the petitions forwarded by different interests.
The businessmen claimed that after several weeks of sitting, the panel concluded its report and forwarded same to the IGP, who in turn informed the parties through the Principal Staff Officer 1 to the IGP that the report submitted by the SIP would be sent to the Commissioner of Police, Legal to review and look out for criminal and triable offences.
According to the Ghanaian businessmen, Paulo Homes Limited subsequently wrote another petition on the 10th of April 2025 to the IGP alleging the same allegations, which had already been investigated by the SIP.
The Ghanaians also informed the court that despite different letters, such as that of March 20, 2025 and April 16, 2025, sent to IGP Egbetokun and Fakorede, for the release of the investigation report of the Special Investigation Panel conducted by an 11-member team, they have received no reply, instead The Head of the IG Monitoring Unit, Fakorede, allegedly commenced another investigation on the same subject matter, in a bid to alter the report of the 11-man panel of the IGP investigation panel.
The investors allege that, despite purporting to be conducting a fresh investigation into the matter, Fakorede, who is a former head of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), had continued to invite them, harass and intimidate them.
They also informed the court that, in what appears to be double jeopardy, the EFCC arrested Mr Kojo Ansah Mensah, the CEO of JonahCapital and Houses for Africa Nigeria, and interrogated him for several days.
Consequently, the Ghanaian investors petitioned the Hashimu Argungu-led Police Service Commission, complaining against the conduct of the hierarchy of the force as well as the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), seeking their intervention as the supervisory body for the police and the chief law officer of the federation, respectively.
