The Ghana Immigration Service has deported Aremu Timothy Adegboyega, a 55-year-old Nigerian trader, after he was convicted for smuggling over CFA 80 million (approximately $100,000) in counterfeit currency into Ghana through an unauthorized border route.
Adegboyega was arrested on January 17, 2023, by Customs officers at Beat Zero, an unapproved crossing point along the Ghana–Togo border. He was riding as a pillion passenger on a motorcycle when officers searched his backpack and discovered bundles of forged CFA francs and Nigerian naira.
During interrogation, Adegboyega admitted he knew the notes were fake. He claimed he received them from a man named Alhaji Saibu in Nigeria, acting under instructions from a suspected mafia figure, Alhaji Dials, based in Côte d’Ivoire.
The Accra Circuit Court, presided over by Her Honour Christiana Cann, sentenced him to pay fines totaling GH¢4,440 or serve two years in prison with hard labour. The court also ordered his immediate deportation by the Ghana Immigration Service.
Authorities say the case sends a strong message to those attempting to undermine Ghana’s financial and border security systems.
