The Government of Ghana, through the Forestry Commission, has filed a lawsuit against businessman and former presidential candidate Nana Kwame Bediako, popularly known as Cheddar or Freedom Jacob Caesar, over the alleged illegal importation of two tigers.
The Commission is seeking an order from the Accra High Court to compel Cheddar to forfeit the animals to the state.
The action was filed on January 26, 2026, by the Ecotourism Unit of the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission. The suit claims the two tigers were brought into Ghana without the required export and import permits as well as the necessary approvals from the relevant management authorities.
The Commission is asking the court to grant it official possession of the animals.
The lawsuit follows years of complaints from residents of Wonda World Estates, where the animals are reportedly kept at Cheddar’s private residence. Neighbours have raised concerns about safety, noise and odours.
In May 2022, officials from the Wildlife Division indicated after inspections that the animals were well secured and posed no immediate threat to the public.
However, in November 2023, an Accra court ordered the Forestry Commission to remove the tigers within three days.
The Commission at the time cited a lack of specialised expertise and the absence of a suitable holding facility as reasons for its inability to relocate the animals.
Following delays in complying with that directive, the head of the Forestry Commission was later found in contempt of court in late 2023 for failing to enforce the relocation order.
Cheddar has previously stated that the animals were intended to boost tourism in Ghana.
The latest legal action now seeks to formalise state control of the tigers through the judicial process.
