Drama As Ghanaian Protest Alleged Harassment By Police, EFCC (Video)
Today, a crowd of Ghanaians gathered at the Nigerian High Commission in Roman Ridge, Accra, to protest what they described as harassment, intimidation, and violations of the fundamental rights of Ghanaian citizens living in Nigeria.
The demonstrators accused the Nigeria Police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of perpetrating the alleged abuses.
Earlier, Ghanaian investors behind the development of the high-profile River Park Estate in Abuja, sued the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetoku and the Nigeria Police and the EFCC EFCC accusing them. of sustained harassment and intimidation.
The protest, led by Jonah Capital and its Ghanaian promoters, featured placards and banners bearing messages urging Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former Ghanaian President John Mahama to intervene.
The demonstrators called for the immediate removal of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, over what they described as targeted attacks on Ghanaian businesses operating in Nigeria.
The investors claimed that their fundamental rights were being violated, alleging arbitrary arrests, repeated police invitations, and intimidation by both the police and anti-graft agency, the EFCC.
The controversy surrounds the ownership and development of River Park Estate, a large real estate project in Abuja. Multiple petitions over the years prompted the IGP to set up a Special Investigation Panel (SIP) to examine the matter.
According to the developers, the panel concluded its work and submitted a report to the IGP. However, the investors alleged that the findings have not been disclosed to them despite multiple formal requests.
Instead, they claim that a senior officer, the Head of the IGP Monitoring Unit, has reopened the investigation—allegedly in an attempt to reverse or undermine the SIP’s conclusions.
The investors also accused senior EFCC officials at the FCT Zonal Command of misconduct, specifically pointing to the arrest and prolonged interrogation of Jonah Capital’s CEO, Kojo Mensah.
They argued that the EFCC and Police are probing matters that had already been addressed in a series of legal agreements signed as far back as 2012, describing the new investigations as unjustified and oppressive.
Jonah Capital and its partners have filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court, seeking a perpetual injunction to restrain the Nigeria Police and EFCC from further interference in the matter. They are also demanding:the immediate release of the SIP investigation report and
N200 million in damages for alleged violations of their fundamental rights.
The suit, according to the plaintiffs, is not only to seek redress but also to safeguard the integrity of foreign investments in Nigeria and discourage what they describe as state-sponsored intimidation of legitimate investors.
The protest took on an international tone, as banners displayed during the demonstration called on former Ghanaian President John Mahama to engage President Tinubu on the matter. The group emphasized the need for diplomatic intervention to ensure that Ghanaian businesses are protected in Nigeria.
