Uzoma Mba
The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) has received a petition seeking a review of actions taken by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in relation to the corporate records of two Abuja-based property development firms involved in the River Park Estate project in Lugbe, Abuja.
The petition, dated December 16, 2025, was submitted by foreign investors involved in JonahCapital Nigeria Ltd and Houses For Africa Nigeria Ltd. The petitioners requested the anti-corruption agency to examine administrative decisions affecting the companies’ filings at the CAC.
In the petition addressed to the ICPC Chairman, the investors said they have operated in Nigeria for close to two decades and described their involvement in the River Park Estate as long-term foreign direct investment in the country’s real estate sector.
According to the petitioners, JonahCapital Nigeria Ltd serves as the head lessee and developer of River Park Estate, while Houses For Africa Nigeria Ltd is listed as its development partner.
The investors stated that disputes relating to the companies emerged in 2023, following internal disagreements that resulted in civil litigation before courts in Abuja. They said multiple suits were filed and that related matters were subsequently brought to the attention of law enforcement agencies before being reviewed by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, which, according to the petition, advised that further police action be discontinued pending judicial determination.
The petitioners further stated that, amid the disputes, they requested the CAC to place a caveat on the companies’ records to maintain the status quo while legal proceedings were ongoing, a request they said was granted.
They told the ICPC that on August 20, 2025, they received correspondence from the CAC referring to a police report and requesting the removal of several corporate filings spanning multiple years. The investors said they responded to the request and also approached the Federal High Court, seeking judicial protection of the companies’ records.
However, the petitioners said they later discovered that changes had been made to the companies’ filings at the CAC in December 2025. They expressed concern that the administrative actions altered shareholding and directorship records, which they said were already the subject of pending court proceedings.
The investors argued in their petition that only a limited number of filings were in dispute before the court and maintained that the broader changes to the companies’ records could have implications for ongoing litigation, banking relationships, regulatory compliance, and employment arrangements within the firms.
They also raised concerns about correspondence allegedly sent to financial institutions and government offices by parties asserting interests in the companies, following the disputed changes to the corporate records.
In their appeal to the ICPC, the petitioners requested an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the administrative actions at the CAC, the temporary restoration of the affected records pending court decisions, and a review of whether due process was followed.
The ICPC has not publicly commented on the petition, and no findings or conclusions have been announced. The CAC has also not issued an official response to the claims as of the time of filing this report.
The matter remains subject to ongoing legal proceedings before the courts.
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