One of Ghana’s most prominent business figures, Sir Sam Jonah, has escalated a long-running corporate dispute in Nigeria into a diplomatic matter, formally petitioning the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, over what he describes as the unlawful seizure of his investments by Nigerian state authorities.
In an 11-page petition titled “Concise Summary” dated December 13, 2025, Sir Jonah accuses Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) of taking extraordinary administrative action that effectively expropriated his shares in a multi-million-dollar real estate development in Abuja, while sidelining ongoing court processes.
The petition urges the Government of Ghana to intervene diplomatically, engage Nigerian authorities at the highest level, alert ECOWAS institutions to possible breaches of regional investment protections, and demand the immediate reversal of the CAC’s actions.
By doing so, Sir Jonah has transformed what began as a corporate dispute into a test case for cross-border investment protection within West Africa.
Administrative action that “overrode the courts”
At the centre of the controversy is Abuja’s River Park Estate, a large real estate project in which Sir Jonah’s companies—JonahCapital Nigeria Ltd and Houses For Africa Nigeria Ltd—hold controlling interests.
According to the petition, the Registrar-General of Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Commission, Hussaini Ishaq Magaji (SAN), allegedly cancelled all corporate filings of the two companies on December 8, 2025, despite having been served with a court injunction restraining such action.
“To our utter shock, on Monday, 8th December 2025, upon checking the company status report, we discovered that the entire corporate records of our companies had been cancelled,” Sir Jonah wrote.
He argues that the decision had the practical effect of reducing his shareholding and stripping his companies of legal standing, rendering them unable to defend themselves in ongoing litigation.
The move, Sir Jonah contends, amounts to administrative overreach, raising serious questions about the sanctity of court orders, due process and investor protection in Nigeria.
Disputed police report, conflicting findings
Sir Jonah further alleges that the CAC’s action was justified using a disputed police report authored by DCP Akin Fakorede, which he says contradicts the conclusions of a 10-member Special Investigation Panel (SIP) set up earlier to investigate allegations of document forgery.
According to the petition, the SIP found no basis for the criminal claims that were later relied upon to justify regulatory sanctions. Sir Jonah argues that relying on one police report, while ignoring a broader investigative panel and existing court orders, undermines the credibility of the regulatory process.
The petition suggests that criminal allegations were weaponised in what is essentially a commercial dispute, allowing administrative agencies to intervene in a manner that favoured local interests.
Roots of the dispute
Sir Jonah traces the origins of the investment to 2006, when JonahCapital Nigeria was incorporated, followed by a 2007 Development Lease with Nigeria’s Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) for the River Park Estate.
Over time, the investment structure evolved through share restructuring that left Sir Jonah’s entities as the principal stakeholders.
According to the petition, the crisis began when Sir Jonah demanded accountability from a local Nigerian agent, Paul Odili of Paulo Homes Ltd, over alleged land encroachment within the estate.
What followed, he claims, was a campaign of misrepresentation, including alleged illegal land sales, false claims of ownership and the filing of criminal complaints intended to tilt the balance of power in the dispute.
These actions, Sir Jonah argues, culminated in the controversial intervention by the CAC, which effectively paralysed his companies overnight.#
Risk of asset stripping
A key concern raised in the petition is the risk of asset dissipation.
By cancelling the companies’ records, Sir Jonah argues, the CAC has created conditions under which estate assets could be sold, transferred or encumbered without the ability of the rightful owners to challenge such actions in court.
He warns that this creates a dangerous precedent, not only for his investments but for other foreign and regional investors operating in Nigeria.
From corporate dispute to diplomatic test
By appealing directly to Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Sir Jonah is asking the state to step in where private legal remedies have allegedly failed.
The petition calls on Ghana to engage Nigeria bilaterally, invoke ECOWAS investment protection frameworks, and assert its responsibility to protect Ghanaian nationals and their assets abroad.
The case is particularly sensitive given Nigeria’s position as one of Ghana’s largest trading partners and a key destination for Ghanaian businesses seeking scale within the ECOWAS market.
Broader implications for regional investment
Beyond Sir Jonah’s personal interests, the petition raises uncomfortable questions about regulatory certainty, rule of law and the treatment of foreign investors within West Africa.
If administrative agencies can override court injunctions and erase corporate existence through executive action, the petition argues, then regional investment protections risk becoming meaningless.
As Ghana’s government considers its response, the dispute now stands as a critical test of whether ECOWAS principles on investment protection and dispute resolution can withstand political and bureaucratic pressure.
For now, Sir Jonah’s petition places Nigeria’s investment climate—and the region’s commitment to rule-based commerce—under an increasingly unforgiving spotlight.
