A Nigerian national, Aremu Adegboyega, who was convicted by a Circuit Court in Accra, Ghana, for smuggling counterfeit CFA francs valued at over $100,000 into the country through an unauthorised border route, is to be deported to Nigeria.
Justice Christiana Cann ordered his immediate deportation by the Ghana Immigration Service following his conviction.
According to ASP Isaac Anquandah, cited by Ghanaian outlet The Chronicle, Adegboyega was arrested in 2023 at the Aflao border by customs officers while riding as a pillion passenger on a motorcycle.
The 55-year-old was charged with two counts of possessing forged currency under Section 18(2) of Ghana’s Currency Act, 1964 (Act 242), and one count of illegal entry into the country.
For possessing counterfeit CFA francs, the court imposed a fine of 250 penalty units, amounting to GH¢3,000. Failure to pay will result in a two-year prison sentence with hard labour.
Additionally, for illegal entry, Adegboyega was fined 120 penalty units (GH¢1,440), with another potential two-year prison term if he defaults. The court stated the sentences would run concurrently, capping his jail term at two years if both fines are unpaid.
In addition to fines and sentencing, the court ordered his immediate deportation to Nigeria.
Adegboyega was arrested at Beat Zero, an illegal crossing point along the Ghana-Togo border. According to police reports, his suspicious behaviour while carrying a backpack prompted officers to conduct a search.
The search revealed bundles of suspected counterfeit currency; CFA francs totalling CFA 80,653,000 and Nigerian naira amounting to ₦101,500. Further investigation revealed he had smuggled the fake currency from Togo into Ghana.
In his caution statement, Adegboyega admitted that he knew the currency was counterfeit. He also confessed that he received the fake notes from a man named Alhaji Saibu in Nigeria, acting on the orders of a suspected mafia figure, Alhaji Dials, allegedly based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
His conviction comes amid increasing cross-border financial crimes involving Nigerians. Adegboyega joins another Nigerian national, Abu Arome, who is currently on trial in Ghana alongside three Ghanaians for alleged fraud involving forged documents, falsified signatures, and fraudulent financial claims.
Force Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Police Force, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, confirmed in a statement last Friday that Nigerian authorities are monitoring the cases.
