An Accra Circuit Court has remanded two men, 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 were charged with conspiracy to commit crime, namely, 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. The prosecution said Jabiru told Fawuziya Issaka, Tourwana's sister, that he knew a spiritualist who could help resolve Tourwana's challenges. 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 a similar attack on her. They collected additional money to provide spiritual protection and redirect the attack to the “sender”.
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, 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.
Musah has denied the charge of harbouring a criminal. Ibrahim and Musah are expected to reappear before the court, presided over by Mr Joseph Kunsong, on October 20, 2026. Chief Inspector Ramata Asumah is prosecuting the case.
The case highlights the issue of fraud through impersonation and the involvement of some journalists in such crimes. Key points in the case include the accused's use of spiritual claims to defraud the victim and the recovery of GH¢49,000 from Ibrahim during investigations.
Key points
- The Accra Circuit Court remanded Ibrahim and Musah into police custody.
- The accused allegedly collected GH¢800,000 from a Ghanaian resident in the United States.
- Musah has denied the charge of harbouring a criminal.
