A District Court in Accra has sentenced 32-year-old Nigerian national Mohammed Ogbona, also known as Mohammed Alhassan, to 12 months’ imprisonment with hard labour for attempting to illegally acquire a Ghanaian passport.
Ogbona was also convicted for unlawful entry into Ghana and for fraudulently obtaining a Ghanaian birth certificate and National Identification Card.
He was fined GH₵2,400.00 each for the passport and ID offences, with a default sentence of six months’ imprisonment. For the false birth certificate, he received another 12-month sentence and a GH₵4,800.00 fine, or an additional three months in jail if unpaid.
A final fine of GH₵600.00 was imposed for another offence, with one month’s imprisonment in default. All sentences are to run concurrently.
Ogbona was arrested on June 16, 2025, at the Tema Passport Application Centre during the application process.
He had falsely claimed to be a Ghanaian born at Tema General Hospital to local parents but failed to provide proof.
Investigations revealed he was born in Enugu State, Nigeria, and had entered Ghana illegally through an unauthorised border crossing near Aflao.
He had secured falsified documents through an agent, intending to use the Ghanaian passport to travel to the UK. Prosecutors called for a custodial sentence to deter the rising trend of identity fraud and illegal entry.
