•River Park Estate, Abuja
A firm involved in the River Park Estate crisis, Houses for Africa Nigeria Limited, has written to senior lawyer Anthony Aikhunegbe Malik, SAN, accusing him of filing a suit on its behalf without authorisation.
The firm threatened to lodge a complaint with the Disciplinary Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association and the Body of Benchers if Malik does not retract the suit and dissociate Houses for Africa Nigeria from it, reports The Guardian.
Malik dismissed the threat, insisting that he had been briefed in writing.
It was reported that some lawyers working for a real estate developer were exposed for allegedly impersonating JonahCapital Nigeria Limited in an attempt to sue the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and overturn the findings of the Ministerial Committee on River Park Estate.
In a formal letter addressed to Malik, Houses for Africa Nigeria Limited, through its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Kojo Ansah, unequivocally distanced itself from the suit.
He emphasised that neither the board nor the management authorised the filing.
The letter warned that such actions constituted criminal impersonation and violated the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners.
The letter directed Malik to withdraw the suit immediately to prevent further damage to the corporate integrity of Houses for Africa Nigeria Limited.
It stressed that any legal actions concerning the estate must come from the company’s authorised representatives and board resolutions, not third parties acting unilaterally.
In the letter addressed to Anthony Aikhunegbe Malik, SAN, the firm said: “Our attention has been drawn to a suit filed by your firm, A. A. Malik & Co, purportedly in the name of Houses for Africa Nigeria Ltd against the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and the FCDA. This development has come to us as a shock, not least because the said action was instituted without the knowledge, authority, or consent of the Board of Houses for Africa Nigeria Ltd.
“We are also aware that the matter was originally assigned to Court 38 (Jikwoyi) but was thereafter, under circumstances requiring serious scrutiny, transferred to Court 37 (Jikwoyi).”
This raises further questions about motives surrounding this purported action.
“Accordingly, we hereby demand that you immediately withdraw the said suit and furnish us with written evidence of compliance.
“Please be informed that failure to comply with this directive will leave us with no option but to petition the relevant law enforcement agencies, the Body of Benchers, the Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria, and the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee regarding your conduct in this matter.
“We expect your immediate cooperation to forestall the escalation of this matter, as a stitch in time saves nine.”
In a separate communication to the FCT Minister, Houses for Africa lamented the alleged bizarre assignment of courts in its pending cases.
The letter raised concerns about the rushed assignment of Justice Mohammed Zubairu of the FCT High Court to the case, despite the existence of multiple ongoing suits on the same subject matter.
The company argued that this unusual court assignment seemed like forum-shopping aimed at securing a favourable ruling that could undermine the Ministerial Committee’s findings.
The letter urged the minister’s office to take steps to protect the integrity of the administration’s decisions and prevent “rogue litigation” from reversing the progress already made in sanitising the River Park Estate dispute.
When contacted by our correspondent, Malik confirmed receiving a letter from Mr Kojo Ansah asking him to withdraw the case.
Malik denied the allegation, stating that he had been properly instructed to file the action.
He dismissed the claims as the work of an impostor and emphasised that he would not file a suit without proper authorisation.
Malik concluded by stating that anyone attempting to file a complaint against him based on false allegations would not succeed.
He expressed disbelief that anyone would question his professionalism and integrity in handling legal matters.
“I would just get up and file a suit when I was not instructed? Of course, I have my letter of instruction signed and delivered to me that I should file the action.
“So, if they have issues among themselves, or a dispute about ownership of the company, that is their business.
“There must be something wrong somewhere. The company, Houses for Africa Nig. Ltd, which instructed me in writing, cannot turn around to deny briefing me.
“My guess is that somebody somewhere is up to some mischief. Put differently, I believe the ‘story’ is being peddled by an impostor. It certainly cannot be from the same company that duly instructed me,” he added.
