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 of GH¢800,000. The two men were 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 alleged fraud began in 2021 when Ibrahim and his accomplice, Katakaraou Jabiru, planned to obtain money from Tourwana Katakarauo, who resides in the United States. Jabiru allegedly told Tourwana's sister, Fawuziya Issaka, that he knew a spiritualist who could help resolve the challenges Tourwana was facing. Ibrahim then posed as the spiritualist and collected GH¢800,000 from Tourwana in instalments, claiming they needed the money for sacrifices and other spiritual activities.
The prosecution stated that Ibrahim and Jabiru 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. 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 allegedly collected additional money to provide spiritual protection and redirect the attack to the “sender”.
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, where he stayed with Ibrahim and Musah. 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. However, Musah has denied the charge of harbouring a criminal.
The court, presided over by Mr Joseph Kunsong, remanded Ibrahim and Musah into police custody, and they are expected to reappear before the court on October 20, 2026. The Police are still searching for Jabiru, who is currently at large.
The case highlights the issue of fraud and deception in Ghana, with many victims losing money to scammers who use various tactics to gain their trust. The Ghana Police Service has urged the public to be cautious of such schemes and to report any suspicious activities to the authorities.
Key points
- The two men were charged with conspiracy to commit crime, namely defrauding by false pretence, defrauding by false pretence, and harbouring a criminal, respectively.
- The alleged fraud began in 2021 and involved the collection of GH¢800,000 from a Ghanaian resident in the United States.
- The case highlights the issue of fraud and deception in Ghana, with many victims losing money to scammers who use various tactics to gain their trust.
