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

Ganew has been charged with impersonation and defrauding by false pretences, while he and his two brothers, Nurudeen Rashid and Nurudeen Gafaru, face an additional charge of conspiracy to commit a crime.

All three pleaded not guilty and were granted bail set at GH¢150,000, with three sureties, one of which must be justified. The case, presided over by Mrs. Sedinam Awo Kwadam, has been adjourned to July 21, 2025.

According to the prosecution, on March 3, 2025, Ganew posed as Prof. Joshua Alabi and contacted Mr. Hakeem Addae, the Council of State representative for the Central Region and NDC Constituency Chairman for Twifo-Atti Morkwa.

Ganew also falsely claimed to be an official of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), and allegedly offered to help Mr. Addae acquire a Toyota Land Cruiser and ten auctioned trucks.

Trusting the representations, Mr. Addae is said to have transferred GH¢60,000 to Ganew.

A Ghana News Agency (GNA) report states that police tracked Ganew to his residence in Wa, Upper West Region, where he was arrested. Authorities retrieved four identity cards, three pen drives, four mobile phones, and GH¢14,896 in cash from the scene.

Further investigations led to the arrest of his two brothers on July 2, 2025, in Subinso, near Wenchi. A search of their residence uncovered over 12 mobile phones, 13 SIM cards (including 12 MTN and one Telecel), and a digital database containing contact details of political party constituency executives from all 16 regions of Ghana — believed to be a target list for future scams.

Some of the recovered SIM cards were verified to have been used to communicate with Mr. Addae and receive mobile money payments.

Prosecutors allege that the three operated a sophisticated fraud syndicate, often impersonating well-known public figures — especially politicians — to deceive high-profile individuals, including chiefs, queen mothers, political leaders, and corporate entities.

Ganew is believed to be the mastermind of the operation, directly contacting victims, while his brothers allegedly managed mobile money withdrawals across several towns, including Wa, Wenchi, Sunyani, Techiman, Koforidua, and Accra.