Man Who Impersonated Professor Joshua Alabi to Defraud Council of State Member Appears in Court

A 40-year-old businessman, Nurudeen Abdul Ganew, has appeared before the Accra Circuit Court for allegedly impersonating Professor Joshua Alabi, a prominent figure in the National Democratic Congress (NDC), to defraud a Council of State member.

Ganew is facing charges of impersonation and defrauding by false pretences. He was arraigned alongside his two brothers, Nurudeen Rashid and Nurudeen Gafaru, on a joint charge of conspiracy to commit crime. All three pleaded not guilty and were granted bail set at GH¢150,000 with three sureties, one of whom must be justified.

Presiding judge Mrs. Sedinam Awo Kwadam ordered the accused to reappear in court on July 21, 2025.

Prosecutors revealed that on March 3, 2025, Ganew posed as Professor Alabi and deceived Mr. Hakeem Addae, a Council of State member and NDC Constituency Chairman for Twifo-Atti Morkwa. Ganew, also pretending to be a Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) official, allegedly promised to help Mr. Addae acquire a Toyota Land Cruiser and ten auctioned trucks, prompting the victim to send him GH¢60,000.

Ganew was later arrested at his residence in Wa, Upper West Region. The arrest led to the seizure of four identity cards, three pen drives, four mobile phones, and GH¢14,896 in cash.

Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of his brothers in Subinso, a suburb of Wenchi, on July 2, 2025. A search of their home uncovered over 12 mobile phones, multiple SIM cards—including some used in communication with Mr. Addae—and a political party database listing constituency executives across Ghana’s 16 regions.

Authorities say the three brothers formed a fraud syndicate, targeting high-profile individuals such as chiefs, queen mothers, political leaders, and companies. Ganew was identified as the ringleader who directly engaged victims, while his brothers facilitated the withdrawal of funds through mobile money vendors across several cities including Wa, Wenchi, Sunyani, Techiman, Koforidua, and Accra.