Protesters on Wednesday stormed the Nigerian High Commission in Accra, Ghana’s capital, asking the commissoner to prevail on the President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government to intervene in some cases of alleged harassment of Ghanaian businesses in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The protesters, according to photos obtained by SaharaReporters on Wednesday, stormed the Nigerian High Commission in Roman Ridge, Accra, with placards, demanding a safe busines environment for Ghanaian businesses while referencing recent harassments by the Nigerian police.
Speaking in a video obtained by SaharaReporters, one of the protesters, James Clark, under the aegis of the Concerned Citizens of Ghana (CCG) urged the Nigerian commissioner to wade in and end the harassment by the Nigerian police.
He said, “Some Nigerian elements are harassing the Ghanaian business interests in Abuja, the nation’s capital. The Ghanaians led by Mr Essien Jonah who have a number of firms went to court in a civil dispute. You see we live peacefully with our Nigerian brothers in Ghana. We got married to each other and all.
“But presently, our Ghanaian brothers in Nigeria are being harassed and we just want the Commissioner to talk to the Nigerian Inspector-General of Police and the Nigerian Immigration Service and talk to the Nigerian president so that everything will be peaceful and this harassment will stop.”
SaharaReporters had reported on Tuesday that the Nigerian police under the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, the Commissioner of Police of the FCT, Ajao Adewale, and the Head of the IGP Monitoring Unit at the Force Headquarters, DCP Akin Fakorede, were dragged to court by the developers of River Park Estate in Abuja, Jonah Capital and their Ghanaian promoters.
The plaintiffs had alleged the continuous violation of their fundamental human rights in a matter concerning the estate in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The directors of Jonah Capital Nigeria Limited and Houses for Africa, Samuel Essien Jonah, Kojo Ansah Mensah, Victor Quainoo, and their legal practitioner, Abu Arome, brought the suit seeking, among other reliefs, the sum of N200million as exemplary damages against the defendants for alleged intimidation, human rights violation.
Others joined in the suit with reference number FHC/ABJ/CS/1130/2025 before a Federal High Court, Abuja, are; the FCT Zonal Commander of the EFCC, Mr Micheal Wetkas, an EFCC investigator, Eunice Vou Dalyop, also an ACE 1; and one Kabiru Baba.
The suit arose due to several petitions over the alleged trespass and ownership of the estate, which forced the IGP to set up a Special Investigation Panel (SIP) to harmonise and investigate the petitions forwarded by different interests.
The businessmen claimed that after several weeks of sitting, the panel concluded its report and forwarded same to the IGP, who in turn informed the parties through the Principal Staff Officer 1 to the IGP that the report submitted by the SIP would be sent to the Commissioner of Police, Legal to review and look out for criminal and triable offences.
According to the Ghanaian businessmen, Paulo Homes Limited subsequently wrote another petition on the 10th of April 2025 to the IGP alleging the same allegations, which had already been investigated by the SIP.
The Ghanaians also informed the court that despite different letters, such as that of March 20, 2025 and April 16, 2025, sent to IGP Egbetokun and Fakorede, for the release of the investigation report of the Special Investigation Panel conducted by an 11-member team, they have received no reply.
Instead the Head of the IG Monitoring Unit, Fakorede, allegedly commenced another investigation on the same subject matter, in a bid to alter the report of the 11-man panel of the IGP investigation panel.
The investors allege that despite purporting to be conducting a fresh investigation into the matter, Fakorede, who is a former head of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), had continued to invite them, harass and intimidate them.
They also informed the court that, in what appears to be double jeopardy, the EFCC arrested Mr Kojo Ansah Mensah, the CEO of JonahCapital and Houses for Africa Nigeria, and interrogated him for several days.
Consequently, the Ghanaian investors petitioned the Hashimu Argungu-led Police Service Commission, complaining against the conduct of the hierarchy of the force as well as the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), seeking their intervention as the supervisory body for the police and the chief law officer of the federation, respectively.
Furthermore, they are contending that the FCT Commissioner of Police and the Head of the Monitoring Unit have no powers to form a Police Post on their land designated for a housing project.
They want the court to make an order of perpetual injunction restraining the police and EFCC officials from further inviting, intimidating, harassing and arresting or detaining them in respect to matters or body of matters which are the subject heads of agreement dated June 1, 2012, addendum heads of agreement of June 1, 2012 and completion agreement of July 13, 2012, under the guise of investigation into allegations of forgery and conspiracy to forgery.
Besides their demand for N200million in damages demanded by their lead counsel, Adedayo Adedeji (SAN), the Ghanaians are also seeking an order of court compelling the police and the EFCC to release the report of the investigation by the Special Investigative Panel of the Nigeria Police Force led by DCP Usman Ahmed Imam of the Force Criminal Investigation Department
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