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A Nigerian, Aremu Adegboyega, has been convicted by a Circuit Court in Accra, Ghana, for attempting to smuggle counterfeit CFA francs worth over $100,000 into the country via an unauthorized border route.
Report gathered indicated that Justice Christiana Cann, who oversaw the case, ordered his immediate deportation by the Ghana Immigration Service.
ASP Isaac Anquandah mentioned that Adegboyega was arrested in 2023 by customs officers at the Aflao border while riding a motorcycle.
The 55-year-old faced two charges of possessing counterfeit notes, violating Section 18(2) of Ghana’s Currency Act, 1964 (Act 242), as well as one charge of illegal entry into the country.
For possessing counterfeit CFA francs, the court imposed a fine of 250 penalty units, equivalent to GH¢3,000. If he fails to pay, he will serve a two-year prison sentence with hard labor. Additionally, he was imposed a fine of 120 penalty units or GH¢1,440 for illegal entry, with a failure to pay resulting in another two-year prison term.
The sentences are set to run concurrently, meaning he will face a maximum of two years in prison if he defaults on both payments. The court also mandated his immediate deportation to Nigeria.
According to reports, Adegboyega was detained at Beat Zero, an unauthorized crossing point along the Ghana-Togo border.
He was traveling as a pillion passenger on a motorcycle while carrying a backpack, which raised suspicion among the officers.
A search revealed bundles of suspected counterfeit currency: CFA francs totaling CFA 80,653,000 and Nigerian naira amounting to N101,500. Further investigations uncovered that he had smuggled the fake currency into Ghana from Togo.
The police indicated that he admitted in a caution statement that he knew the money was counterfeit and confessed to obtaining the forged notes from a man named Alhaji Saibu in Nigeria under the direction of an alleged mafia figure known as Alhaji Dials, believed to be based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Adegboyega is now alongside another Nigerian, Abu Arome, who is currently on trial with three Ghanaians for purported fraud.
A statement from the Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, revealed that the suspects are accused of committing the crime using forged documents, falsified signatures, and fraudulent claims.
