Nigerian authorities have brought a series of forgery and trespass charges against three Ghanaian nationals, including prominent businessman and Knight of the British Empire Sir Sam Jonah, and a Nigerian lawyer, over claims of an attempted illegal takeover of local firms.
The Inspector-General of Police, through prosecuting counsel Isa Garba, filed the charges—numbered CR/402/2025—at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory on 26 June. The accused also include Kojo Ansah, Victor Quainoo, and lawyer Abu Arome, alongside Mobus Property Nigeria Ltd.
According to court documents, police investigations allege the defendants falsified company records and signatures, unlawfully increasing share capital and allocating tens of millions of shares to themselves in Jonahcapital Nigeria Ltd and Houses for Africa Nigeria Ltd.
Further allegations claim the defendants misrepresented themselves as Nigerian citizens in filings to the Corporate Affairs Commission to facilitate the purported fraud.
In one of the charges, Ansah and Jonah are accused of submitting petitions in early and late 2024 that allegedly provided false information to police, wrongly accusing other individuals of land fraud and identity theft.
Another charge relates to claims that, between 2010 and 2025, the defendants trespassed onto Plot No. 4, Cadastral Zone E 30, Lugbe West (known as River Park Estate), constructing buildings there and asserting ownership through Mobus Property Nigeria Ltd, despite the land allegedly belonging to other companies.
The alleged offences fall under Nigeria’s Penal Code, which provides punishments for giving false information, criminal trespass, and related acts.
The case, which has attracted significant public attention, is expected to test how Nigeria’s legal system handles cross-border corporate disputes involving high-profile business figures.
