A Ghanaian court has ordered the deportation of a Nigerian national, Aremu Adegboyega, after he was convicted of smuggling counterfeit currency worth over $100,000 into Ghana through an illegal border crossing.
Justice Christiana Cann of the Accra Circuit Court handed down the ruling after Adegboyega was found guilty of multiple charges, including possession of forged currency and unlawful entry into the country. The Ghana Immigration Service has been directed to carry out his immediate deportation.
According to reports from The Chronicle, Assistant Superintendent of Police Isaac Anquandah said Adegboyega was arrested in 2023 by customs officers at the Aflao border. He was intercepted as a motorcycle passenger at an unauthorised crossing point known locally as “Beat Zero” along the Ghana-Togo border.
Suring a routine search, border officers found bundles of counterfeit currency in his backpack, including CFA francs amounting to CFA 80,653,000 and Nigerian naira totalling ₦101,500. Investigations later confirmed the fake money had been smuggled from Togo into Ghana.
Under interrogation, Adegboyega admitted he was aware the money was counterfeit. He reportedly told police he received the fake notes from a man identified as Alhaji Saibu in Nigeria, acting on instructions from a suspected mafia figure named Alhaji Dials, believed to reside in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
The 55-year-old was subsequently charged with two counts of possessing forged currency under Section 18(2) of Ghana’s Currency Act, 1964 (Act 242), and one count of unlawful entry.For currency-related offenses, he was fined 250 penalty units—equivalent to GH¢3,000—or face two years in prison with hard labour if he defaults. For unlawful entry, he was fined 120 penalty units (GH¢1,440), with another two-year prison term attached if unpaid.
The court ruled that the sentences would run concurrently, meaning he could serve a maximum of two years behind bars if he fails to pay the fines.
Beyond the sentencing, the court ordered that Adegboyega be deported back to Nigeria as soon as possible.
This case adds to a growing list of cross-border financial crimes and fraud-related prosecutions involving foreign nationals in Ghana, sparking continued concern among regional security agencies about porous borders and illicit financial activities.
