A Nigerian national, Aremu Timothy Adegboyega, has been remanded by an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly smuggling CFA France and Nigerian Naira notes suspected to be counterfeit into the country.
WITHIN NIGERIA recalls that 55-year-old Aremu was arrested by a joint security team as he entered Ghana through Togo using an unapproved route called Beat Zero in Aflao on Tuesday, January 17, 2023.
The Assistant Commissioner of the Aflao Division of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Ahmed Majeed Amandi, disclosed that the personnel found CFA80 million in fresh notes, an additional CFA843,000 in the suspect’s waist bag and N110,500 in his wallet.
Aremu, who was charged with possessing forged notes, pleaded not guilty. The prosecution prayed the Court to remand the accused person because he was a flight risk and would interfere with the Police investigation.
The Court presided over Mrs. Afia Owusuaa Appiah, remanded the accused person into Police custody for further investigations.
The prosecution was directed by the Court to file and serve all disclosures and witness statements. The case has been adjourned to February 9, 2023.
The Prosecuting Police Chief Inspector, Isaac Anquandah, told the Court that the complainants were Customs Officers stationed at the Aflao Sector, while the accused person was based in Cote Ivoire.
Anquandah said on January 17, 2023, the complainants were on duty at Beat Zero, an unapproved route along the Ghana-Togo border within the Aflao Sector. It said at about 1530 hours on the same day, the complainants accosted the accused person sitting on a motorcycle as a pillion rider carrying a backpack.
The prosecuting Police Inspector said the accused person, who was travelling from Togo, entered Ghana through an unapproved route so the complainants became suspicious and conducted a search in the backpack he was carrying. It said the search revealed bundles of CFA Franc notes and Nigerian Naira notes suspected to be counterfeit currency notes being smuggled into the country through the unapproved route.
He said the currency notes were counted in front of the accused person and it was found to be CFA80,653,000.00 and N10,500.00. It said the accused person was later escorted to the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority Headquarters, Accra for further investigations.
The prosecution said on January 20, 2023, the case was handed over to the Police for continuation of investigations. It said the accused person allegedly admitted the offence in his investigation cautioned statement and indicated that he was aware that the notes were counterfeit and claimed, one Alhaji Dialo, a mallam in Abidjan, sent him to pick the currency notes from one Alhaji Saibu in Nigeria.
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