Ghana Deports Nigerian Convict Over $100,000 Fake Currency Smuggling

Ghanaian authorities have deported a 55-year-old Nigerian man, Aremu Timothy Adegboyega, after he was convicted of smuggling over $100,000 worth of counterfeit CFA Francs into the country.

Adegboyega was found guilty by an Accra Circuit Court after he changed his plea to guilty during trial. He was initially charged with two counts of possessing forged currency under Ghana’s Currency Act, 1964 (Act 242), and one count of illegal entry.

The court sentenced him to pay fines totaling GH¢4,440 or serve two years in prison with hard labour.

He was arrested on January 17, 2023, by Customs officers at the Aflao border while riding as a passenger on a motorcycle. A search of his backpack revealed counterfeit CFA Francs amounting to CFA 80,653,000 and ₦101,500 in Nigerian currency.

Investigators confirmed the fake currency was smuggled from Togo into Ghana. During interrogation, Adegboyega admitted in a caution statement that he knew the notes were counterfeit. He claimed the fake money came from a man named Alhaji Saibu in Nigeria, under the instructions of an alleged mafia boss known as Alhaji Dials, believed to be operating from Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

The Ghana Police Service took over the case on January 20, 2023, and further investigations are ongoing.

Officials say the deportation underscores Ghana’s commitment to safeguarding its financial and border security against transnational crime.