Ghana Deports Convicted Nigerian For Smuggling Counterfeit $100,000

A Nigerian man, Aremu Adegboyega, has been convicted by a Circuit Court in Accra, Ghana, for smuggling counterfeit CFA francs worth over $100,000 into the country through an unauthorized border route, and will be deported to Nigeria. Presiding Judge, Justice Christiana Cann, ordered his immediate deportation by the Ghana Immigration Service. american eagle sydney sweeney jeans According to ASP Isaac Anquandah, as reported by Ghanaian outlet The Chronicle, Adegboyega was arrested in 2023 by customs officers at the Aflao border while riding a motorcycle. The 55-year-old was charged with two counts of possessing forged currency under Section 18(2) of Ghana’s Currency Act, 1964 (Act 242), and one count of illegal entry. For possessing counterfeit CFA francs, the court fined Aremu Adegboyega 250 penalty units, equivalent to GH¢3,000. If he fails to pay, he will serve a two-year prison sentence with hard labour. Additionally, he was fined 120 penalty units (GH¢1,440) for illegally entering Ghana. A default on this payment would also result in a two-year prison term. However, the sentences are to run concurrently, meaning he would serve a maximum of two years if he defaults on both fines. Alongside the penalties, the court also ordered his immediate deportation to Nigeria. Adegboyega was arrested at Beat Zero, an unauthorised entry point on the Ghana-Togo border, while riding as a pillion passenger and carrying a backpack. His suspicious behaviour prompted officers to search his belongings, leading to the discovery of counterfeit currency: CFA 80,653,000 and ₦101,500. Investigations revealed he had smuggled the fake money into Ghana from Togo. In his caution statement, he admitted knowing the currency was counterfeit and claimed he received it from a man named Alhaji Saibu in Nigeria, under instructions from an alleged mafia figure, Alhaji Dials, based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Adegboyega’s case comes as another Nigerian, Abu Arome, is also on trial with three Ghanaians for alleged fraud involving forged documents, falsified signatures, and fraudulent claims, according to a statement by Nigeria’s Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi.