Three men granted bail for impersonating Joshua Alabi to defraud member of Council of State

A 40-year-old businessman, Nurudeen Abdul Ganew, is at the center of a high-profile impersonation and fraud case that has landed him and his two brothers before an Accra Circuit Court. 

The trio is accused of orchestrating an elaborate scam that involved impersonating Professor Joshua Alabi, a leading figure in the opposition NDC, to defraud a sitting member of Ghana’s Council of State.

Ganew faces charges of impersonation and defrauding by false pretence, while he, Nurudeen Rashid, and Nurudeen Gafaru have also been charged with conspiracy to commit a crime. All pleaded not guilty and have been granted bail of GH¢150,000 each, with one justified surety required. The case has been adjourned to July 21, 2025, under the supervision of Circuit Judge Mrs. Sedinam Awo Kwadam.

According to the prosecution, the scheme unfolded on March 3, 2025, when Ganew allegedly pretended to be Prof. Alabi and contacted Mr. Hakeem Addae, the Council of State member for the Central Region and NDC Chairman for Twifo-Atti Morkwa. He further claimed to be a Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) official and promised to assist Mr. Addae in acquiring a Toyota Land Cruiser and ten auctioned trucks.

Trusting the impersonation, Mr. Addae transferred GH¢60,000 to Ganew, which would later trigger a multi-regional police investigation.

Police arrested Ganew at his residence in Wa, where they recovered multiple identity cards, mobile phones, pen drives, and GH¢14,896 in cash. The trail then led authorities to Subinso, near Wenchi, where his brothers were picked up on July 2, 2025. A search revealed a cache of over a dozen phones, 13 SIM cards (12 MTN, 1 Telecel), and a digital database containing the contact details of political party executives across all 16 regions—believed to be a database for future victims.

Investigators linked several of the recovered SIMs to prior communication with Mr. Addae and confirmed their use in receiving mobile money transfers.

Prosecutors say the suspects operated a sophisticated fraud network, impersonating influential figures — particularly politicians — to target and exploit high-ranking individuals, including chiefs, queen mothers, and corporate leaders.

Ganew allegedly served as the lead actor, directly engaging victims, while his brothers coordinated the collection of funds across various cities including Wa, Wenchi, Sunyani, Techiman, Koforidua, and Accra.

The court proceedings are ongoing, but the case has already raised alarms over the use of political identities in digital fraud and the vulnerabilities of high-profile individuals in the face of well-crafted deception.