A Nigerian trader, Aremu Timothy Adegboyega, has been sentenced to two years in prison by the Accra Circuit Court for smuggling large quantities of counterfeit currency into Ghana through an illegal border route.
The 55-year-old was convicted on two separate charges—possession of forged currency and illegal entry—each attracting a two-year prison term, but the sentences are to run concurrently.
In addition to the jail term, the court, presided over by Her Honour Christiana Cann, imposed a fine of 250 penalty units (GH¢3,000) for the forged notes and 120 penalty units (GH¢1,440) for the illegal entry. Should he fail to pay, he will serve the full two-year term in prison with hard labour.
The court also ordered his immediate deportation by the Ghana Immigration Service upon completion of his sentence or payment of the fines.
Adegboyega initially pleaded not guilty to the charges but later reversed his plea mid-trial, admitting to the offences.
He was arrested on January 17, 2023, by customs officers stationed at Beat Zero, an unapproved route on the Ghana-Togo border near Aflao. The officers, who found his behaviour suspicious as he rode pillion on a motorcycle with a backpack, conducted a search that revealed large amounts of suspected counterfeit currency.
The seized funds included CFA 80,653,000 and Nigerian Naira totaling ₦101,500.
Investigations established that the forged notes had been smuggled into Ghana from neighbouring Togo. In his caution statement to law enforcement, Adegboyega admitted he was aware of the notes’ counterfeit nature.
He claimed to have received them from a man named Alhaji Saibu in Nigeria, allegedly acting on instructions from another man known as Alhaji Dials, believed to be a drug and currency trafficking kingpin operating out of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
The case was transferred to the Ghana Police Service on January 20, 2023, for further investigation, which officials say remains active.
Security officials say the arrest and conviction of Adegboyega reinforce Ghana’s commitment to protecting its financial system and borders from transnational criminal activities.
