A 55-year-old Nigerian national Aremu Adegboyega, has been remanded by an Accra circuit court in Accra ,Ghana for allegedly smuggling CFA France and Nigerian Naira notes suspected to be counterfeit into the country.
Adegboya 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.
According to the Assistant Commissioner of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Ahmed Amandi, the personnel found CFA 80 million in fresh notes, an additional CFA 843,000 in the suspects waist bag and N110,500 in his wallet.
Meanwhile, Adegboyega who was charged with possessing forged notes, pleaded not guilty.
The prosecution prayed the Court to remand the accused person because he was flight risk and would interfere with Police investigation.
The Court presided over by Mrs Afia Owusuaa Appiah, remanded the accused person in 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.
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 D’Ivoire.
The prosecution said the accused person, who was traveling from Togo, entered Ghana through an unapproved route so the complainants became suspicious and conducted a search in the backpack he was carrying.
Writing by Fany Olumoye, editing by Julian Osamoto & Adeniyi Bakare