Sam Jonah Files ICC Arbitration Against Nigeria Over $500m Abuja Land Dispute

• Sam Jonah has launched international arbitration proceedings against the Nigerian government over a 501-hectare property in Abuja
• The dispute centres on River Park Estate, one of Abuja's largest private residential developments, after Nigeria's FCDA terminated JonahCapital's lease in November 2025
• Nigeria has also filed a 26-count criminal charge against Sir Sam Jonah over alleged forgery and unlawful share allocation linked to the same development

Ghanaian mining magnate Sam Jonah has filed for international arbitration against the Nigerian government over a contested 501-hectare parcel of land in Abuja, in a case with potential ramifications for Ghanaian business interests across the West African sub-region.

The proceedings are being conducted under the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris. No hearing date has been announced.

While neither side has disclosed the value of the claim, estimates based on current Abuja property values place the land at approximately US$500 million.

The contested property is Plot 4, Cadastral Zone E30, in Lugbe West, Abuja. Nigeria's Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) allocated the land to JonahCapital Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of Sir Sam Jonah's investment group, in 2007 under the country's Mass Housing Scheme.

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JonahCapital subsequently developed the site into River Park Estate, a large-scale private residential development that includes housing units, commercial facilities, healthcare centres, offices and places of worship.

The company maintains that its development lease on the property remains valid until June 2030.

However, the FCDA terminated the lease in November 2025, a decision JonahCapital has described as unlawful and in violation of the original development agreement.

In its arbitration submission, the company alleges that Nigerian authorities failed to deliver essential infrastructure, including roads, electricity and water, compelling JonahCapital to finance and build those facilities independently.

The company further claims that authorities breached provisions on building approval fees, fenced off portions of the estate while proceedings are ongoing, and left it to spend years defending third-party ownership claims over sections of the development. None of these allegations have yet been tested before the tribunal.

Nigeria's Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has acknowledged the arbitration and indicated the government will await its conclusion. "The other party has gone to arbitration and we say okay, until you finish from arbitration," he said.

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Wike maintains the lease had lawfully expired when the land was recovered, and has raised questions about the role of Paulo Homes Limited, a separate company JonahCapital engaged to handle certain approvals.

Criminal Charges and Ghana's Diplomatic Response

Running in parallel to the arbitration, Nigerian authorities have brought a 26-count criminal charge against Sir Sam Jonah and others before the Federal Capital Territory High Court, alleging forgery of company documents and unlawful share allocation in firms connected to the Abuja development. Sir Sam Jonah has denied the allegations, which have not yet been tested in court.

The dispute has drawn in Ghana's government. Sir Sam Jonah petitioned Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa in late 2025, alleging that Nigerian regulatory actions were threatening his ownership interests.

Ablakwa subsequently raised the matter at an ECOWAS Council of Ministers meeting in Abuja, citing the JonahCapital case as emblematic of difficulties faced by Ghanaian investors operating in Nigeria.

The minister had previously visited River Park Estate and publicly backed efforts to safeguard Ghanaian investments abroad.

Because the case is before the ICC, any award will be enforceable in over 170 countries under the New York Convention, to which Nigeria is a signatory, bypassing Nigeria's domestic court system entirely.

Source: YEN.com.gh