A Nigerian national, Aremu Adegboyega, who was convicted by a Circuit Court in Accra, Ghana, for smuggling counterfeit CFA francs worth over $100,000 into the country through an unauthorized border crossing, is set to be deported to Nigeria.
Presiding Judge Christiana Cann ordered the Ghana Immigration Service to carry out the immediate deportation.
According to ASP Isaac Anquandah, as reported by The Chronicle, a Ghanaian news outlet, Adegboyega was apprehended in 2023 by customs officers at the Aflao border while riding a motorcycle.
The 55-year-old faced two charges of possessing counterfeit currency under Section 18(2) of Ghana’s Currency Act, 1964 (Act 242), along with a charge of unlawful entry into the country.
For possession of counterfeit CFA francs, the court fined the convict 250 penalty units, equivalent to GH¢3,000.
In default of payment, according to the report, he will serve a two-year prison sentence with hard labour.
For illegal entry into Ghana, he was reportedly fined an additional 120 penalty units or GH¢1,440. If he fails to pay, The Chronicle reports, he will serve another two-year prison term.
The sentences are expected to run concurrently, meaning he will serve a maximum of two years if he defaults on both payments.
The report added that, in addition to the fines and prison sentence, the court ordered his immediate deportation to Nigeria.
Adegboyega was apprehended at Beat Zero, an unauthorised crossing point along the Ghana-Togo border.
Riding as a pillion passenger on a motorcycle and carrying a backpack, according to the police, he aroused suspicion, prompting the officers to search his belongings.
During the search, officers discovered bundles of suspected counterfeit currency: CFA francs totalling CFA 80,653,000 and Nigerian naira amounting to N101,500.
Further investigation revealed that he had smuggled the fake currency into Ghana from Togo.
According to the police, he admitted in a caution statement that he was aware the money was counterfeit.
He also confessed to receiving the forged notes from a man identified as Alhaji Saibu in Nigeria, under the instruction of an alleged mafia figure named Alhaji Dials, believed to be based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Adegboyega joins another Nigerian, Abu Arome, who is currently standing trial alongside three Ghanaians for alleged fraud.
A statement issued on Friday by the Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, disclosed the suspects were accused of committing the crime using forged documents, falsified signatures, and fraudulent claims.
