•It’s a lie –Lawyer fires back

From Godwin Tsa, Abuja

The lingering controversy the ownership of River Park estate in Abuja, has taken a dramatic turn with allegations and counter claims that the Senior Advocate of Nigeria representing the Ghanaians, Sunday Ameh (SAN), is on ratainership with the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike had recently set up a committee to address the protracted feud over ownership of the estate.

Wike had during a recent programme on Channels TV, revealed that a SAN, Sunday Ameh, wrote the petition on the River Park matter, upon which he set up the Ministerial committee on the advice of the FCT General Counsel, Salmon Dako.

However, it was learnt from competent sources that Ameh has been on retainership with the FCT Administration and has been working with the General Counsel, who equally headed the Ministerial Committee.

During the TV programme, Wike equally disclosed that it was the General Counsel, that earlier told him not to sign Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) for Paulo Homes Nigeria Ltd again.

“We have been signing C of O to Paulo Homes, Paulo Homes, Paulo Homes, and somehow, the General Counsel came and said we don’t have anything with Paulo Homes,” Wike stated.

But in a swift reaction,  Sunday Ameh (SAN), has denied being on retainership with the FCT Authority.

In a chat with newsmen yesterday,the senior lawyer stated that

“First and foremost, I’m not under FCDA or FCTA retainership. FCTA gave me cases to do for them, and even before they instructed me on those cases, I was already doing other matters against them, and it’s always on a case-by-case basis. But when you have a retainership that you are on their full salary, monthly salary, or allowance, or yearly, in circumstances like that, it will be unfair to go and represent a party against them per se.

“Even in the River Park case, assuming I was having a retainer, there was not going to be any conflict of interest because I was not coming in as a Defendant. We filed to be joined (Kojo Mensah) as a Defendant in the matter and FCTA is a defendant.

“In respect of this current administration, the Minister instructed me to do three cases for FCDA and for a specific fee. My letter of instruction did not say it was a retainership. My letter of instruction did not say I cannot take cases that FCDA is involved in, because before I was given this instruction to do this matter, I already had about 20 cases I was doing against FCDA. FCDA authority is aware of it.

Regardless, the petition written by the senior lawyer over the ownership of River Park Estate is a subject of litigation before various courts in Nigeria where the same SAN is, was not even shown to  JonahCapital Nigeria Ltd and Houses for Africa Nigeria Ltd before the General Counsel reached his findings with his Committee.

Apart from representing the FCT in some matters in courts, the senior lawyer is representing the Ghanaians in some cases too, namely; Suit No: FCT/HC/CV/4223/24 Jonah Capital Nigeria Limited  V  Paulo Homes Limited & 3 ors;

Suit No: FCT/HC/CV/5206/24 Jonah Capital Nigeria Limited  V  Paulo Homes Limited & Anor; and

Suit No: FCT/HC/CV/4221/24 Jonah Capital Nigeria Limited  V  Dunamis Gospel Centre & 3 ors.

All the suits are bordering on ownership of River Park Estate.

Sources claim the petition was written in anticipation that the Court cases may not come out in his favour and used his relationship with the FCT Authority to try and get an outcome desirable to him and his Ghanaian clients.

Ameh had on October 6,  before Justice Mohammed Zubairu of the High Court of the FCT sitting in Jikwoyi-Kurudu, announced legal appearance for the same Ghanaians laying claims to ownership of the estate, as a party seeking to be joined as defendant.

The petitioner and the FCDA General Counsel allegedly misled the FCT Minister into setting up the Ministerial Committee, in a bid to overreach the court where the above matters are pending and usurp the powers of the police to investigate crime and prevent the same by claiming to set aside albeit unlawfully police report based on a forensic report.

The ownership feud has climaxed following the filing of a 26-count charge by the Nigerian Police against three Ghanaians, namely, Sam Jonah, Kojo Mensah and Victor Quianoo as well as a Nigerian lawyer, Abu Arome and a company, Mobus Nigeria Ltd, over allegations of forgery of ownership documents, corporate fraud, impersonation etc.

The matter initially slated for arraignment on July 16, 2025, before Justice Modupe-Osho  Adebiyi of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Gwarimpa, was stalled and had to be adjourned to October 7.

However, the case was brought forward to September 25, a date the office of the Attorney General of the Federation had announced to the court that it had taken over the case from the police.

One of the suspects , accused of trying to  illegally take over Jonahcapital Nigeria Limited and Houses for Africa Nigeria Limited by allegedly creating 99,000,000 shares fraudulently in 2024, Victor Quainoo; also came to the FCT High Court in Jikwoyi still claiming to represent Jonahcapital on the 6th of October 2025 despite facing charges in the same FCT High Court.

The charge has been fixed for hearing on November 11.