The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), through its Department of Development Control, has resumed demolition operations at the River Park Estate in Lugbe, Abuja.
The sudden enforcement of demolition comes despite a high-level intervention by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi SAN.
The latest invasion also followed the destruction of the estate gatehouse on June 27 as well as the alleged occupation of portions of an estate facility, The Gallery Clubhouse on July 1.
The demolition comes amid the Nigerian Government’s inability to resolve the ownership dispute involving a group of Ghanaian investors led by Mr. Kojo Ansah Mensah.
The Ghanaian investors maintain that they are the rightful drivers of the mass housing development through Mobus Properties Limited and JonahCapital.
The dispute has drawn the attention of high-ranking Government Officials. The FCT Minister Nyesom Wike previously weighed in on the matter, making statements that suggested the Ghanaians were the rightful owners of the Estate.
The conflict also saw brief criminal proceedings when the Nigeria Police Force filed a 26-count forgery charge against Kojo Mensah, Sir Sam Jonah, Mobus Property, and their Nigerian lawyer, Abu Arome.
However, in a major legal twist earlier this year, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), fully discontinued the charges.
The AGF dismissed the Police investigation as “misleading, legally defective, and an abuse of authority,” which led to an FCT High Court officially striking out the case.
Amid the Government’s indecision, the fate of over 200 local contractors, artisans, and administrative staff in the state hangs in the balance as they now face severe job insecurity.
Expressing his frustration over the sudden disruption, an affected resident, Pastor Chidi Oweh, lamented the immediate impact the exercise has had on his family’s daily life.
MJConcept TV News had recently reported an operation involving armed policemen at the River Park Estate in Lugbe, Abuja.
The armed policemen, allegedly attached to the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) of the Nigeria Police Force, were seen escorting a group of men to The Gallery Clubhouse, a recreational facility owned by Ghanaian investment company Jonah Capital.
MJConcept TV News learnt that during the operation, part of the facility’s entrance was reportedly excavated, an action the Company has described as an unlawful invasion of its property.
Witnesses further claimed that the officers prevented members of staff from interfering with the operation and declined to disclose the authority under which they were acting when questioned.
One of the videos captured a tense exchange between a staff member and one of the Policemen after the employee began recording the incident.
Jonah Capital has since condemned the incident, describing it as an unlawful invasion of its property and calling for an immediate investigation into the circumstances surrounding the operation.
The incident comes against the backdrop of a prolonged ownership and legal dispute involving River Park Estate, one of Abuja’s largest residential developments.
Competing claims over the ownership and control of Jonah Capital Nigeria Limited and related companies have resulted in multiple court cases, Police investigations and public exchanges over the past two years.