A Nigerian national, Aremu Adegboyega, has been convicted by a Circuit Court in Accra, Ghana, for smuggling counterfeit CFA francs valued at over $100,000 into the country through an illegal border crossing. He is set to be deported to Nigeria, PUNCH Metro confirmed on Monday.
Presiding over the case, Justice Christiana Cann directed the Ghana Immigration Service to carry out Adegboyega’s immediate deportation.
As reported by ASP Isaac Anquandah and published by The Chronicle (a Ghanaian outlet), Adegboyega was apprehended in 2023 by customs officers at the Aflao border while traveling on a motorcycle.
The 55-year-old faced two charges of possessing forged currency, contrary to Section 18(2) of Ghana’s Currency Act, 1964 (Act 242), and one charge of unlawful entry into the country.
For possessing counterfeit CFA francs, he was fined 250 penalty units (GH¢3,000). If he fails to pay, he will serve a two-year jail term with hard labour.
He was also fined 120 penalty units (GH¢1,440) for entering Ghana illegally. Failure to pay will attract an additional two-year sentence. However, both sentences will run concurrently, meaning a maximum of two years behind bars if the fines remain unpaid.
In addition to the fines and potential jail time, the court ordered Adegboyega’s immediate deportation to Nigeria.
Authorities said he was arrested at Beat Zero, an unofficial entry point along the Ghana-Togo border. He had been riding as a passenger on a motorcycle and carrying a backpack, which raised suspicion.
A search of his bag revealed bundles of suspected fake CFA currency amounting to CFA 80,653,000, along with N101,500 in Nigerian naira.
Further investigation showed the counterfeit cash was smuggled in from Togo. During questioning, Adegboyega admitted in a caution statement that he knew the money was fake. He confessed that the forged notes came from a Nigerian man named Alhaji Saibu, acting on the orders of another alleged kingpin, Alhaji Dials, reportedly based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Adegboyega’s case mirrors that of another Nigerian, Abu Arome, who is currently on trial with three Ghanaians over alleged fraud. According to a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, that group is accused of fraud involving forged documents, falsified signatures, and deceptive claims.
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