SaharaReporters learnt that the CAC Registrar-General, Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, SAN, however, allegedly defied the directive in a letter dated 24 September 2025 and signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Justice, B. E. Jedy-Agba (Mrs).
The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, has intervened in the River Park Estate crisis in Abuja, ordering the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to temporarily suspend corporate actions relating to the companies involved, pending a full review of police investigation files.
SaharaReporters learnt that the CAC Registrar-General, Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, SAN, however, allegedly defied the directive in a letter dated 24 September 2025 and signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Justice, B. E. Jedy-Agba (Mrs).
Jedy-Agba had said, "The Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice is currently reviewing the case file received from the Nigeria Police Force concerning allegations of forgery and fraudulent activities as it pertains to Jonah Capital Nigeria Limited and Houses for Africa Nigeria Limited.”
The letter, stamped received on 25 September 2025, formally requests that CAC “place a caveat to preserve the records of Jonah Capital Nigeria Limited (RC:669754) and Houses for Africa Nigeria Limited (RC:729760)” to ensure that no further corporate actions are taken while the Attorney-General completes his review and provides legal advice.
The directive comes amid intense legal and criminal proceedings tied to allegations of corporate fraud and forgery related to the development and ownership of River Park Estate, Lugbe, Abuja.
Meanwhile, the Federal Capital Territory High Court had also ordered all parties in the case to maintain the status quo on the disputed land, effectively halting development and transactions on the property while proceedings continue.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that the
House of Representatives formally received a petition to investigate the unlawful tampering with the corporate records of Jonah Capital Nigeria Ltd and Houses for Africa Nigeria Ltd by the Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, SAN.
The petition was written on behalf of the two companies, Jonah Capital Nigeria Ltd and Houses for Africa Nigeria Ltd In which the CAC registrar allegedly altered some corporate records to favour a contending party.
The petition had been presented to the House of Representatives by Hon Muktar Tolani Shagaya from the Ilorin West Federal Constituency of Kwara State.
Speaking during the plenary presided over by Hon Benjamin Kalu, the Deputy Speaker, Hon Shagaya had said, "Mr Speaker, I rise this morning to lay a petition before this Honourable House, signed by Kojo Mensah Ansah.
"The petition is on the unlawful expropriation of shares, extrajudicial removal of directors, and retrospective invalidation of corporate filings of Jonah Capital Nigeria Ltd. and Houses for Africa Nigeria Ltd. by the Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs Commission, Mr Hussaini Magaji, SAN. I seek the leave of the House to lay this petition."
The Speaker then replied, "Honourable Shagaya, the leave is hereby granted, you may now lay the petition."
In an official statement on Saturday, the CAC claimed that it never illegally tampered with the records of any company.
"Under the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020, the law has expressly empowered the Commission to correct, rectify, and regularise records where illegality, falsification, or non-compliance is established, and to do so lawfully, transparently, and in real time.
"Accordingly, any intervention by the Commission in a company's records is carried out strictly within the confines of the law, following due process, verifiable documentation, and audit trails. CAC does not act arbitrarily, nor does it benefit from manipulating records.
"Where evidence shows that a company record was illegally altered, fraudulently procured, or improperly maintained, the Commission is under a statutory duty to correct such anomalies in order to protect investors, creditors, and the integrity of Nigeria's corporate registry," the management said.
SaharaReporters had earlier reported that the long-running ownership dispute surrounding Abuja’s multi-billion-naira River Park Estate escalated into a full-blown corporate and regulatory crisis.
This followed allegations that the Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Ishaq Magaji Hussaini (SAN), illegally expropriated shares of JonahCapital Nigeria Ltd and Houses for Africa Nigeria Ltd and reassigned them to rival claimants in the land ownership dispute.
In a strongly worded statement issued by Kojo Ansah Mensah, CEO of JonahCapital Nigeria Ltd and one of the Ghanaian investors in the estate, he noted that on December 8, 2025, the Registrar-General “unlawfully altered” the ownership structure of both companies.
The registrar did this despite a court action and a standing directive from the Attorney-General’s office instructing the CAC to halt any such changes pending investigation.
According to Mensah, the Attorney-General, through the Solicitor-General, had on September 24, 2025 directed the CAC to place a caveat on the company’s records until the office of the AGF’s review of the forgery allegation made against investors Sir Samuel Jonah KBE, Kojo Mensah, Victor Quainoo and their Nigerian lawyer Abu Arome Esq.
Mensah said that despite being served with court Originating summons, several weeks before December 8, the Registrar-General went ahead to effect the controversial changes.
He also alleged that at a meeting held on December 1, 2025, in the presence of representatives of the adverse parties and the Attorney-General’s office, the Ghanaian investors’ lawyers informed Mr. Magaji that the matter was sub judice.
The Registrar-General later claimed in a letter to the AGF that the investors “failed to appear,” an assertion Mensah described as “bizarre and false.”
Following the changes, Mensah said individuals “newly coronated” as directors —Olakitan Ogunmuyiwa and Adeniran Ogunmuyiwa — immediately notified banks, including Zenith Bank, to close the companies’ accounts, and wrote to the Minister of the FCT announcing a purported takeover.
“These hurried actions are designed to disrupt the operations of the company,” Mensah stated.
The Ghanaian investors have since petitioned the National Assembly, whose plenary reportedly adopted their motion on December 11, 2025, as well as the Attorney-General of the Federation, describing the CAC’s actions as a dangerous precedent that could enable “hostile takeover of foreign-owned companies by government officials.”