Estate Land Dispute: Ghanaian Investors Accuse IGP Monitoring Unit Head of Bias
By Ifeoma Ikem
Some Ghanaian investors have accused the Head of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit, Abuja, DCP Akin Fakorede, of bias in an ongoing land dispute involving them and another developer at River Park Estate, Abuja.
Mr. Kojo Ansah Mensah, Chief Executive Officer of Houses for Africa, along with other Ghanaian investors, alleged that DCP Fakorede has been frustrating their efforts to seek justice and has halted their construction work at the estate.
In an earlier petition, the group leveled serious allegations of misconduct and partiality against officers of the Nigeria Police Force deployed to the River Park Estate. They accused the officers of favoring a private developer, Paulo Homes, in the controversial property dispute.
The petition, 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 IGP, and other top-ranking police officials.
Titled “Concerns of Bias by Police Officers Deployed to River Park Estate”, the letter expressed outrage over the police officers’ conspicuous presence only on their uncontested land—designated for the Jonah Court project—while ignoring the actual disputed areas where stop-work orders had been issued.
“These officers were assigned to maintain peace and enforce stop-work directives issued by the Special Investigative Panel (SIP) of the IGP on contentious lands in the Estate—specifically Clusters 1A, Sector Centre, and 5A,” the petition read.
“However, contrary to their mandate, the officers have stationed themselves solely on our uncontested Jonah Court land, while allowing Paulo Homes to continue development in the disputed areas unchallenged,” it added.
Mensah further alleged that Paulo Homes’ heavy machinery was deliberately parked on their uncontested land without any interference from the police.
“What is extremely alarming is that the police presence has been withdrawn from the actual contentious plots and instead deployed to our Jonah Court land, which is not under dispute—giving Paulo Homes free rein to continue development in violation of the SIP directives,” he claimed.
The Ghanaian investors also accused DCP Fakorede of failing to act on the findings of the Special Investigation Panel, which was led by DCP Usman Ahmed Imam. They questioned the fate and content of the report produced after months of investigation and multiple petitions.
A police source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged that Fakorede may have prepared a separate report to suppress the SIP’s findings.
“Why is Fakorede accusing the Ghanaians of document forgery without speaking to the lawyers who prepared those documents? Why is he meeting with Paul Odili’s lawyers—Adrian Ogunmuyiwa and John Johnson—behind closed doors to plot against the Ghanaian investors?” the officer queried.
The source also raised concerns about the removal of DPO Tile and accused the FCT Police Command of using its officers to intimidate and obstruct the Ghanaian businessmen.
“Why hasn’t the FCT CP responded to several petitions, including concerns about Paul Odili working on lands under court restriction orders?” the source added.
In a related legal development, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has been sued before the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged harassment and rights violations connected to the land dispute.
The case, filed under suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1130/2025, was brought by directors of Jonah Capital Nigeria Limited and their Ghanaian partners under the Houses for Africa investment consortium. Plaintiffs include Ghanaian businessman Sir Samuel Esson Jonah, Kojo Ansah Mensah, Victor Quainoo, and legal counsel Abu Arome.
Other defendants include the FCT Commissioner of Police Ajao Saka Adewale, DCP Akin Fakorede, EFCC Zonal Commander Michael Wetkas, EFCC investigator Eunice Vou Dalyop, and one Kabiru Baba.
The plaintiffs are demanding N200 million in exemplary damages, citing repeated harassment, arbitrary arrests, and abuse of law enforcement authority in connection to the property dispute.
The core of the matter lies in an earlier investigation launched by the IGP through the SIP, following several petitions concerning land ownership at the upscale River Park Estate.
Meanwhile, protests erupted in Accra, Ghana, on Wednesday, as demonstrators stormed the Nigerian High Commission demanding an end to the alleged harassment of Ghanaian businesses in Abuja. The protesters, under the banner of Concerned Citizens of Ghana (CCG), called on Nigerian authorities to intervene.
James Clark, one of the protesters, stated: “Some Nigerian elements are harassing Ghanaian business interests in Abuja. We live peacefully with Nigerians here in Ghana, and many of us are even intermarried. But what’s happening to our brothers in Nigeria is disturbing.”
He appealed to the Nigerian High Commissioner to urge President Bola Tinubu, the IGP, and relevant security agencies to put a stop to the harassment.
On Tuesday, additional media reports confirmed that Jonah Capital and its Ghanaian promoters had filed a separate lawsuit against the Nigerian police and security officials over alleged human rights violations tied to the River Park Estate dispute.