Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has denied claims by Ghanaian businessman Sam Jonah that he allocated 501 hectares of land for the development of River Park Estate in Abuja, calling the assertion “absolutely untrue, fictitious, misleading and libellous.”
Mr Obasanjo made the denial in a letter dated July 10, addressed to the inspector general of police, in response to a police inquiry dated July 4.
The IGP had sought confirmation regarding Jonah’s claim that the former Nigerian leader personally allocated the land during his time in office.
“The claim of Sam Jonah that I invited him to allocate 501 hectares of land to him or his company or one single plot of land for that matter is absolutely untrue, fictitious, misleading, and libellous,” Obasanjo stated.
He reiterated a similar stance made in an earlier letter dated July 1, in which he said Mr Jonah was “completely mistaken in his recollection” and insisted no such allocation ever occurred.
The denial is the latest development in an ongoing legal dispute over the ownership of River Park Estate, located in Lugbe, Abuja.
Jonah, a Knight of the British Empire and an investor, is currently at the centre of a multi-billion naira corporate fraud case involving alleged forgery, impersonation and unlawful acquisition of company assets.
Jonah is set to be arraigned before Justice Modupe Adebiyi of the Federal Capital Territory High Court along with two other Ghanaians, Kojo Ansah and Victor Quainoo, as well as Abuja-based lawyer Abu Arome and the real estate firm Mobus Property Nigeria Ltd.
According to a 26-count charge filed by the Nigerian Police (marked CR/402/2025), the accused allegedly forged corporate documents and submitted them to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to unlawfully take control of Houses for Africa Nigeria Ltd and Jonahcapital Nigeria Ltd companies linked to the disputed estate.
Prosecuting counsel Isa Garba and court registrar Maureen Okonkwo signed the charge sheet, which also accuses the defendants of fraudulently increasing share capital and allocating 99 million shares to themselves using forged signatures.
The defendants also allegedly misrepresented themselves as Nigerians in CAC filings to gain corporate control.
Among the police exhibits are petition letters, statements from the accused, a forensic report dated November 29, 2024 and a final investigation report dated June 27.
A key piece of evidence is a forged letter purportedly signed by one John Townley on the letterhead of Houses for Africa Holding Inc., relinquishing eight million shares, an act forensic experts have deemed fraudulent.
Other evidence includes manipulated CAC documents, board resolutions dated September 2013 and unauthorised transactions conducted under Mobus Property Nigeria Ltd, all allegedly aimed at taking over the estate.
The police also referenced forensic analysis conducted by Keyforensics Ltd and their own internal investigative team to substantiate the allegations.
