Aremu Adegboyega, a Nigerian convicted by a Circuit Court in Accra, Ghana, of smuggling counterfeit CFA francs worth more than $100,000 into the country via an unapproved border crossing, will be deported to Nigeria.
Justice Christiana Cann, who ruled over the case, ordered his immediate deportation by the Ghana Immigration Service.
According to ASP Isaac Anquandah, as reported by Ghanaian news site The Chronicle on Monday, Adegboyega was detained in 2023 by customs officers stationed at the Aflao border while riding a motorbike.
The 55-year-old was charged with two counts of holding fake notes, a violation of Section 18(2) of Ghana’s Currency Act of 1964 (Act 242), and one count of illegal entry into the nation.
The court penalised the offender GH¢3,000, or 250 punishment units, for possessing counterfeit CFA francs.
According to the report, if he fails to pay, he will be sentenced to two years in prison with hard labour.
He was fined GH¢1,440 (120 penalty units) for illegally entering Ghana. According to The Chronicle, if he fails to pay, he will face another two years in prison.
The sentences are scheduled to run concurrently, which means he might serve up to two years if he fails to make both payments.
According to the article, in addition to the fines and prison sentence, the court ordered his immediate repatriation to Nigeria.
Adegboyega was apprehended at Beat Zero, an unlawful crossing point on the Ghana-Togo border.
According to the police, he aroused suspicion while riding as a pillion passenger on a motorbike and carrying a rucksack, prompting officials to inspect his things.
During the raid, officers discovered bundles of suspected counterfeit currency: CFA francs totalling CFA 80,653,000 and Nigerian naira for N101,500.
Further inquiry revealed that he imported the counterfeit cash into Ghana from Togo.
According to the police, he stated in a caution statement that he knew the money was counterfeit.
He further admitted to receiving the fake notes from a man described as Alhaji Saibu in Nigeria, on the orders of an alleged mafia figure named Alhaji Dials, who is thought to be headquartered in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Adegboyega joins another Nigerian, Abu Arome, who is on trial with three Ghanaians for alleged fraud.
According to a statement made on Friday by the Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, the suspects are suspected of committing the crime with counterfeit documents, false signatures, and fraudulent claims.
