JonahCapital Distances Itself From Lawsuit In River Park Estate Crisis

JonahCapital Nigeria Limited, one of the original allottees of River Park Estate in Abuja, has denied filing any lawsuit against the Federal Capital Development Authority, the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, or the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

The company said it did not instruct any lawyer to institute fresh legal action in the ongoing ownership and development dispute at the estate.

The estate has been at the centre of a long-running legal tussle. Last week, an Abuja High Court ordered all parties to maintain the status quo and stay off the contested properties. The Federal Capital Territory Ministerial Task Force later moved into the estate, halted construction works, and arrested workers who ignored the ruling.

The denial from JonahCapital followed reports of a new suit, FHC/ABJ/CS/1869/2025, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja by lawyer Oluwabunmi Adebiyi on behalf of JonahCapital and Common Consultant Ltd. The suit sought to restrain the FCDA and the development control department from interfering with the estate.

JonahCapital’s management, led by Chief Executive Officer Kojo Ansah Mensah, disowned the lawyer and said the board never authorised him to represent the company. The firm explained that its legal team, headed by S.I. Ameh (SAN), has already been instructed to withdraw the case. It also noted that Adebiyi is facing disciplinary proceedings before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee and that law enforcement agencies will be notified of his actions.

The crisis in River Park deepened when the FCT Administration demolished more than 30 substructures in the estate. Officials accused developers of violating planning regulations and ignoring the revocation of lease agreements. They also alleged that some developers attempted to rush through construction in defiance of directives.

The FCT minister had earlier inaugurated a committee to review disputes in the estate. The panel, chaired by Barrister Salman Dako, recommended revoking undeveloped plots over breaches of the Development Lease Agreement while allowing genuine title holders who had built according to regulations to retain their property rights.

During enforcement last Wednesday, the Director of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, said the demolitions were carried out after intelligence revealed that some developers were working against the committee’s recommendations and the court order. The FCTA maintained that it would continue enforcement until order and legality were restored within the estate.