Journalist, 1 Other Media Personnel Arrested Over GH¢800,000 Fraud Targeting Ghanaian in the US
- An Accra Circuit Court remanded Bilyaminu Ibrahim and Mohammed Musah in connection with an alleged GH¢800,000 spiritual fraud
- Ibrahim allegedly posed as a spiritualist and collected money from a US-based Ghanaian woman over several years, claiming to avert spiritual attacks
- A third suspect, identified only as Jabiru, remains at large after allegedly fleeing to Togo following Ibrahim's arrest
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Two men are facing criminal charges before an Accra Circuit Court after allegedly scheming to defraud a Ghanaian woman living in the United States of GH¢800,000 under the guise of spiritual protection.
Bilyaminu Ibrahim, a media worker, and Mohammed Musah, a journalist, were remanded into police custody after being charged with conspiracy to commit crime, namely defrauding by false pretence, and harbouring a criminal, respectively. Musah has denied the harbouring charge.
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According to Chief Inspector Ramata Asumah, who is prosecuting, the complainant is Fawuziya Issaka, the younger sister of the alleged victim, Tourwana Katakarauo, who resides in the United States.
GNA reported that the prosecution told the court that in 2021, a man named Katakaraou Jabiru learned that Tourwana was encountering difficulties abroad and, together with Ibrahim, allegedly hatched a plan to extract money from her under false pretences.
Jabiru reportedly told Fawuziya he knew a spiritualist capable of resolving Tourwana's problems, at which point Ibrahim allegedly assumed that role.
The pair then began collecting payments from Tourwana in instalments, telling her the funds were necessary for sacrifices and spiritual rituals to ward off attacks against her and her mother.
The alleged deception escalated further when they told Tourwana that her late father had owed a debt to an unknown individual who now intended to spiritually harm her.
This prompted additional payments, purportedly for Quran recitals and other protective activities.
In 2023, when Jabiru reportedly heard that Tourwana's mother had suffered a stroke, he allegedly told Ibrahim this was evidence of a fresh spiritual threat.
More money was collected to redirect the supposed attack back to its "sender," and the two later received further payments as a form of appreciation.
The matter was eventually brought before family elders but remained unresolved, leading Fawuziya to file a police complaint.
Arrest, Recovery, and a Fugitive Accomplice
During police investigations, Ibrahim allegedly admitted to posing as a spiritualist. Officers recovered GH¢49,000 from him at the time of his arrest.
Jabiru allegedly fled to Togo upon learning of Ibrahim's arrest but returned to Dodowa in September 2026, where he stayed with Ibrahim and Musah.
On 1 October, when officers visited Jabiru's residence, they found Musah, who told them Jabiru had stepped out. Musah then sent Jabiru a text message reading: "Don't come to the House." He later admitted in his statement that he sent the message to prevent Jabiru from being arrested. Jabiru remains at large.
Ibrahim and Musah are due to reappear before the court, presided over by Mr Joseph Kunsong, on 20 October 2026.
Businessman gets 4 years for $2m fraud in US
In a related development, YEN.com.gh reported that a Nigerian national was jailed for four years after swindling more than $2.7 million from dozens of victims across the United States and abroad.
Joseph James Nantomah, 49, was sentenced on September 18, 2026, by United States District Judge Lynn Adelman in the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
