Two Nigerian nationals have been remanded into custody by the Accra Circuit Court in connection with an alleged kidnapping plot said to have been coordinated by former members of a Niger Delta militant group.
The accused, Joseph Howell, 43, who presented himself as a private security officer, and Japhet Graham, 53, who described himself as a businessman, were arraigned before Her Honour Susana Eduful on Wednesday.
They have been charged with attempting to commit crime, specifically kidnapping, under Sections 18(1)(a) and 89 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
Their pleas were not taken as they appeared in court without legal representation. The judge ordered their remand and directed that they return to court on September 22, 2025.
According to the prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Jacob Maalo Kuubal Esq., intelligence received from Nigeria’s Police Intelligence Unit and INTERPOL NCB in Accra exposed a plot by ex-militants to carry out kidnappings in Ghana.
The information pointed to plans hatched on September 5, 2025, by three Nigerian-based suspects—Mathew from Lagos, Smart Christmas Alfred from Ondo State, and Adusa Oyile from the Delta River area—who allegedly reached out to a gang coordinator, identified as Tari Tiemo.
Tiemo, now in custody in Nigeria, is alleged to have promised each suspect a payment of ₦1.5 million (about GH¢20,000) to support their families while they executed the scheme in Ghana.
Their intended victims were described as “Oborobo,” a slang term used to refer to wealthy individuals and expatriates.
The prosecution explained that the suspects intended to travel into Ghana by speedboat through riverine routes, disguised in Ghanaian security uniforms to avoid raising suspicion. After carrying out the kidnappings, they reportedly planned to retreat into the creeks of the Niger Delta and demand ransom from the families of their victims.
Investigations revealed that intercepted phone conversations and digital traces linked Howell and Graham to the operation. They were arrested in Aflao, Volta Region, after entering Ghana illegally. Initially, both men denied any connection with each other, but investigators later established that they were received at Prince Hotel in Aflao by Tiemo, where they first met face-to-face.
During interrogation, Howell told investigators he had come to Ghana to collect a ₦1.5 million debt owed him by his uncle, Tiemo. Graham, on the other hand, insisted he travelled to retrieve the same amount from a mutual acquaintance named Jonas.
Howell further admitted his affiliation with three security groups operating in Nigeria’s Delta River region.
Security authorities in Ghana say they are working closely with Nigerian counterparts to track down the remaining suspects still at large.
