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River Park Estate dispute: Police report allegedly indicts 3 Ghanaians, lawyer
A forensic report released by the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) has allegedly indicted an Abuja-based legal practitioner, Abu Arome and three Ghanaians over River Park Estate dispute.
The Ghanaians; Sam Jonah, Kojo Mensah and Victor Quainoo, and Arome were alleged to be involved in the forgery of company documents in a bid to illegally takeover Houses for Africa Nigeria Ltd and Jonahcapital Nigeria Ltd.
The forensic report, dated Nov. 29, 2024, was signed by DCP Forensic, Elias Uzoemeka, on behalf of CP Forensic, Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Abuja, and addressed to the CP, Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), FCID.
It was made available to newsmen in Abuja on Sunday.
The forensic report said the investigation centred on a case of corporate fraud, conspiracy, misapplication of fund, criminal breach of trust, impersonation and forgery in which some documents were allegedly/signed by the Ghanaian nationals and their lawyer, Arome.
In the ensuing property feud, which became the subject of a police investigation, a total of 18 documents were critically examined, analysed and signatures compared.
The Police Forensic Department was requested to analyse, examine and compare signatures on relevant column of the documents marked A1 to A4, and to state if the writer of the signatures on relevant column of the documents marked A1 to A4 signed the signatures on the documents marked Y1 to Y4.
Also, the police were asked to analyse and compare signatures on the column of documents marked as B1 to B2 against X1 to X8, and to state if the writer of the signatures on relevant column of the documents marked B1 to B2 signed the signatures on the documents marked X1 to X8.
Document A1 is said to be the signature of Mr John Richard Townley Johnson, a South African, and Managing Director, Houses for Africa Holdings Inc.
A2 is a document showing resolution of General Meeting of House for Africa, held in 2009, under the signature of John Richard Townley Johnson.
Document Y1 is a “letter of resignation” dated Jan. 14, 2014, purportedly written and signed by John Richard Townley Johnson, tendering his resignation as a director of JonahCapital Nigeria Ltd.
Y2 is a document from Houses for Africa Holdings Inc. “relinquishing the 8,000,000 shares held by it in Houses for Africa Nigeria Ltd back to the company…” under the signature of John Richard Townley Johnson, on behalf of Houses for Africa Holdings Inc.
Y3 is another document purportedly written and signed by John Richard Townley Johnson, to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja, wherein he resigned his appointment as a Director in Houses for Africa Nigeria Ltd.
Y4 is a document (Form CAC7), which showed “particulars of Directors or any change therein” for Houses for Africa Nigeria Ltd, signed by John Richard Townley Johnson.
After forensic examination and comparison, SP A. S Odeh, a Forensic Document Examiner, in his findings, held that “the writer of the signatures on the relevant column of documents marked as annexures A1 to A4, did not sign the signatures on documents marked as Y1 to Y4.
The officer said findings also showed that “the signatures at the relevant column of the document marked as Y1 to Y4, are not the genuine signatures of the signatory marked as A1 to A4, but a mere simulation of the signatures purported to be the signatory marked A1 to A4.”
According to Odeh, I also found characteristic features of sameness in signatures of relevant column of documents marked as A1 to A4.
“That the writer of the signatures on relevant column of documents marked as annexures B1 to B2 did not sign the signatures on documents marked as X1 to X8.
“B1 to B2 is a statement by Ogunmuyiwa Adeniran Olatukunbo, who as complainant, told the Police in his witness statement that he registered Jonah Capital Nigeria Ltd in 2006.
“X1 is a document dated February 7, 2014, from Jonahcapital Nigeria Ltd, after its extraordinary general meeting, wherein Townley-Johnson John Richard and Williams Michael Paul were resigned as Directors of the company.
“It also disclosed that Kojo Ansah Mensah had been appointed as a Director, while Ogunmuyiwa Adeniran Olatukunbo was reappointed as a Director of the company.
“It is my opinion that the signatures at the relevant column of the document marked as X1 to X8 are not the genuine signatures of the signatory marked as B1 to B2 (Olatokunbo), but a mere simulation of the signatures purported to be the signatory marked as B1 to B2.”
The forensic report stated that the signatures on Houses for Africa extra ordinary general meeting held in Abuja, where the company re-alloted “7,500,000 of it’s shares to Samuel Esson Jonah” as well as “allotted 500,000 shares to Houses for Africa Inc, Delaware” were not genuine.
More so, the report showed that the signature on the document titled “Relinquishment of Shares” purportedly written by Adeniran Ogunmuyiwa, relinquishing 2,000,000 ordinary shares held in Houses for Africa Nig Ltd. was forged too.
Meanwhile, the suspects; Samuel Jonah, Kojo Mensah, Victor Quainoo and Abu Arome, had filed a fundamental rights enforcement suit before Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja against the Inspector-General (I-G) of Police and others.
The applicants, in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1130/2025, also joined the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC); CP of FCT, Ajao Saka Adewale; and DCP Akin Fakorede, Head of the I-G Monitoring Unit, Force Headquarters.
The defendants also include the FCT Zonal Commander of the EFCC, Mr Michael Wetkas; an EFCC investigator, Eunice Vou Dalyop, also an ACE 1, and Kabiru Baba.
They had sought an order of interim injunction restraining the I-G and others from taking any action relating with the River Park Estate dispute, pending the hearing and determination of the matter.
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