An Accra Circuit Court has remanded Bilyaminu Ibrahim, a media worker, and Mohammed Musah, a journalist, into police custody for allegedly defrauding a Ghanaian resident in the United States. The two men are accused of collecting GH¢800,000 under the pretext of helping to avert spiritual attacks. They have been charged with conspiracy to commit crime, namely defrauding by false pretence, defrauding by false pretence, and harbouring a criminal, respectively.
According to the prosecution, the complainant was Fawuziya Issaka, the younger sister of Tourwana Katakarauo, who resides in the United States. In 2021, Katakaraou Jabiru, Ibrahim's alleged accomplice, learnt that Tourwana was facing challenges in the United States and planned with Ibrahim to obtain money from her under false pretences. Jabiru told Fawuziya that he knew a spiritualist who could help resolve the challenges.
The prosecution said Ibrahim posed as the spiritualist and collected GH¢800,000 from Tourwana in instalments, claiming they needed the money for sacrifices and other spiritual activities to avert attacks against her and her mother. They later told Tourwana that her late father was indebted to an unknown man who planned to haunt her spiritually, prompting further payments purportedly for Quran recitals and other spiritual activities.
The court heard that in 2023, Jabiru learnt that Tourwana's mother had suffered a stroke and allegedly told Ibrahim that someone was trying to inflict her with a similar attack. They collected additional money to provide spiritual protection and redirect the attack to the "sender", after which they received further payments as appreciation.
The prosecution said the matter was reported to family elders but could not be resolved, leading to a Police complaint. During investigations, Ibrahim allegedly admitted posing as a spiritualist, while the Police recovered GH¢49,000 from him. The prosecution said Jabiru fled to Togo after learning of Ibrahim's arrest but returned to Dodowa in September 2026.
On October 1, Police officers who went to Jabiru's residence met Musah, who allegedly told them that Jabiru had gone out. Musah subsequently sent Jabiru a text message stating: "Don't come to the House." The prosecution said Musah admitted in his statement that he sent the message because he did not want Jabiru to be arrested. Jabiru is currently at large.
Ibrahim and Musah are expected to reappear before the court, presided over by Mr Joseph Kunsong, on October 20, 2026. Musah has denied the charge of harbouring a criminal. The case highlights the need for vigilance and caution when dealing with individuals who make promises of spiritual assistance.
Key points
- The two men are accused of collecting GH¢800,000 under false pretences.
- The alleged fraud involved a Ghanaian resident in the United States.
- Ibrahim and Musah are expected to reappear in court on October 20, 2026.
