By: Barbara Kumah
Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has petitioned the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to investigate and intervene in what he describes as alleged interference with Ghanaian businesses operating in Nigeria.
The petition was presented at the 95th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers, held in Abuja, Nigeria, from Wednesday, December 10, to Friday, December 12.
During the meeting, Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa raised concerns over what he described as the unfair treatment and harassment of Ghanaian businesses by Nigerian authorities. He specifically cited the case of Jonah Capital PLC, a real estate company owned by prominent Ghanaian businessman Sir Sam Jonah, as an example of the alleged victimisation.
The Foreign Affairs Minister formally presented a petition on behalf of the company, urging the ECOWAS Council of Ministers to intervene to prevent the situation from escalating into a cross-border trade dispute between the two countries.
In response, the ECOWAS Council of Ministers acknowledged the concerns raised by Ghana and requested additional information to enable a thorough assessment of the matter.
The petition to ECOWAS follows a nearly year-long ownership dispute over the multi-billion-naira River Park Estate in Abuja, a matter that has since escalated into a full-blown corporate crisis. The dispute has intensified pressure on Nigeria’s Minister of Trade amid allegations that Ghanaian-owned companies operating in Nigeria have been subjected to extraordinary corporate expropriation. Observers warn that the situation could trigger a Nigeria–Ghana trade dispute between two countries long regarded as regional partners and economic allies.
At the centre of the controversy is Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and the Registrar-General of Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).
According to allegations now before Nigeria’s National Assembly and diplomats, Magaji, acting through the CAC, allegedly approved the expropriation and reassignment of shares belonging to JonahCapital Nigeria Limited and Houses for Africa Nigeria Limited, companies owned by prominent Ghanaian businessmen Dr. Samuel Jonah. These actions are said to have been taken despite an express directive from the Attorney General of the Federation.
The alleged expropriation reportedly occurred while court proceedings were already pending, with formal service effected on the CAC on November 28, 2025—raising serious questions about due process, judicial respect, and regulatory overreach. The issue has reportedly triggered concerns within the political ranks in Nigeria, as it is being purported that Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, allegedly constituted a court of his own, tried and proceeded to illegally alter the shareholding of JonahCapital; expunged public records and removed duly appointed directors of the company, while reinstating former directors of the company.
The controversy has also spilled beyond Nigeria’s borders. Despite being formally petitioned, Nigeria’s Minister of Trade has yet to issue a public response, a silence that has deepened concern among investors and the foreign business community.
With ECOWAS now seized of the matter and the CAC RG under intense scrutiny, observers warn that Nigeria’s next steps may determine whether this dispute is resolved institutionally—or escalates into a broader economic and diplomatic confrontation between two of West Africa’s closest allies.
