• Provide evidence, Fakorede tells claimants
• Matter will be addressed officially, says police PRO
The Head of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit in Abuja, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Akin Fakorede, has been accused of frustrating justice and halting work at the River Park Estate.
This followed reports of a dispute involving Ghanaian investors, with DCP Fakorede accused of bias against the Ghanaian businessmen, including the Chief Executive Officer of Houses For Africa, Kojo Ansah Mensah.
Meanwhile, when contacted by The Guardian, DCP Fakorede responded: “Those making those claims should provide evidence.”For his part, Force Public Relations Officer Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said: “The matter will be addressed officially.”
The IGP Monitoring Unit head was also accused of failing to act on the investigation report by the Special Investigation Panel (SIP), led by DCP Usman Ahmed Imam, despite multiple petitions.
Fakorede was reportedly said to have claimed that the Ghanaians forged documents without interviewing the lawyers who prepared the documents. He was also accused of meeting with the lawyers of Paul Odili, Adrian Ogunmuyiwa, and John Johnson—parties involved in the matter—in his office to conspire against the Ghanaian businessmen.
A letter dated May 16, 2025, and signed by Mensah, was addressed to the Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command, and copied to the Acting High Commissioner of the Republic of Ghana, the Inspector-General of Police, and other top police officials .
The letter, titled “Concerns of bias by Police Officers deployed to River Park Estate,” expressed outrage over what it described as the police officers’ conspicuous presence solely on their uncontested land, designated for the Jonah Court project, while neglecting actual contentious plots where stop-work orders had been issued.
“These officers were assigned to maintain peace, prevent any breakdown of law and order, and ensure compliance with the stop-work directive issued by the SIP of the IGP on contentious lands in the Estate, specifically Clusters 1A, Sector Centre, and 5A,” the letter read.
The company called on the FCT Commander to explain why officers were being used to intimidate Ghanaians and prevent them from working. It also questioned the removal of DPO Tile and the allowance for Odili to continue work in areas where court orders prohibited such activities.
The company further alleged that police officers were stationed only on the land designated for the Jonah Court project, which is not part of the contentious areas, allowing the Paulo Homes team to continue work unimpeded on the contentious areas; namely Plots 1A, Sector Centre, and 5A. It also claimed that heavy machinery belonging to Paulo Homes was deliberately parked on its uncontested land without any challenge or action from the police officers present.
Recently, protesters gathered at the Nigerian High Commission in Roman Ridge, Accra, with placards demanding a safe business environment for Ghanaian investors and decrying alleged harassment by the Nigerian police.
One protester, James Clark, speaking under the aegis of the Concerned Citizens of Ghana (CCG), said: “Some Nigerian elements are harassing Ghanaian business interests in Abuja, and we want everything to be peaceful. This harassment must stop.”
