Passport scam exposed: Nigerian sentenced for posing as Ghanaian
Local News
9 months ago
<p>The Tema District Court has sentenced a Nigerian national to 12 months’ imprisonment with hard labour for attempting to unlawfully acquire a Ghanaian passport.</p><p>Mohammed Ogbona, alias Mohammed Alhassan, was also convicted on additional charges of unlawful entry and the fraudulent acquisition of a Ghanaian birth certificate and National Identification Card.</p><p>Presiding judge, Madam Benedicta Antwi, handed down the sentence after Ogbona pleaded guilty. He was fined 200 penalty units (GH₵2,400.00) each for attempting to obtain a Ghanaian passport and a National ID through false declarations.</p><p>In default of payment, he is to serve six months’ imprisonment with hard labour.</p><p>For acquiring a Ghanaian birth certificate through false declaration, the court sentenced him to 12 months’ imprisonment. He was also fined 400 penalty units (GH₵4,800.00) or, in default, serve an additional three months’ imprisonment.</p><p>An additional fine of 50 penalty units (GH₵600.00) was imposed, with a one-month prison term in default. All sentences are to run concurrently.</p><p>The prosecution, led by Inspector Jerry Foster Segbefia and supported by ASI Gillian Biney, told the court that the 32-year-old factory hand at Cimaf Cement was arrested on 16 June 2025 at the Tema Passport Application Centre during the passport application process, following suspicions regarding his nationality.</p><p>Ogbona had claimed to be a Ghanaian named Mohammed Alhassan, born at Tema General Hospital to Ghanaian parents — Alhassan Varga, a former military officer, and Rose Tetteh. However, he failed to provide evidence or lead investigators to the said parents.</p><p>Subsequent investigations revealed that he was born in Enugu State, Nigeria, to John and Rosemary Ogbona, and no birth record existed for him at the Tema General Hospital.</p><p>“He wanted the Ghanaian passport to travel to the United Kingdom for greener pastures,” Inspector Segbefia stated.</p><p>The court heard that Ogbona had engaged an agent to falsify his identity and had successfully secured a Ghanaian birth certificate (entry number 774) and a Ghana Card (ID number GHA-730706520-0) before booking an online passport application.</p><p>Further investigations established that he had entered Ghana through an unauthorised route near the Aflao border, without travel documents or immigration clearance.</p><p>Inspector Segbefia said that following a thorough investigation, Ogbona was arraigned, and the prosecution called for a custodial sentence to serve as a deterrent to the growing trend of identity fraud and unlawful entry.</p>
source: GNA
