Prosecutors have charged three brothers with orchestrating an elaborate fraud scheme involving the impersonation of a prominent figure to defraud a high-ranking government advisor, according to court documents and law enforcement officials.
The primary suspect, 40-year-old businessman Nurudeen Abdul Ganew, appeared before an Accra Circuit Court this week to face charges of impersonation and defrauding by false pretenses. Prosecutors allege that Ganew posed as Professor Joshua Alabi, a senior member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and misled a member of the Council of State into transferring tens of thousands of Ghanaian cedis under false promises of access to government-seized vehicles.
Ganew’s two brothers, Nurudeen Rashid and Nurudeen Gafaru, were jointly charged with conspiracy to commit crime. All three defendants pleaded not guilty and were granted bail of GH¢150,000 (approximately $11,000), with three sureties, one of whom must provide verifiable financial backing. Presiding Judge Sedinam Awo Kwadam ordered the trio to reappear in court on July 21.
According to the prosecution, on March 3, Ganew contacted Council of State member Hakeem Addae, who also serves as the NDC constituency chairman for Twifo-Atti Morkwa in the Central Region. Posing as Prof. Alabi and claiming ties to the Ghana Revenue Authority, Ganew allegedly offered to facilitate the purchase of a Toyota Land Cruiser and ten auctioned trucks in exchange for GH¢60,000 ($4,400).
Investigators arrested Ganew in Wa, Upper West Region, after tracing the communications trail. Authorities seized four mobile phones, four identity cards, three pen drives, and GH¢14,896 in cash. Further searches following the July 2 arrest of his brothers in the Bono Region town of Subinso uncovered a trove of digital tools, including 12 mobile phones, 13 SIM cards, and a digital database listing political party officials across Ghana’s 16 regions—a suspected hit list for future scams.
Some of the recovered SIM cards had been used to communicate with Mr. Addae and receive funds, investigators say.
Prosecutors allege the trio operated as part of a broader syndicate that systematically impersonated prominent political figures—including chiefs, queen mothers, and corporate executives—to extract money from victims across the country. Ganew is believed to have played the lead role, maintaining direct contact with targets, while his brothers allegedly oversaw mobile money withdrawals through agents in Wa, Wenchi, Sunyani, Techiman, Koforidua, and Accra.
The case underscores growing concern in Ghana over the rise of digital fraud rings exploiting political connections and mobile money platforms to carry out sophisticated scams. Law enforcement officials say the investigation remains ongoing.
