Accra – A Nigerian man has been sentenced to 12 months in prison with hard labour by the Tema District Court for trying to obtain a Ghanaian passport using a false identity.
Mohammed Ogbona, who also used the name Mohammed Alhassan, was convicted on charges including unlawful entry into Ghana, and fraudulently acquiring a Ghanaian birth certificate and National Identification Card.
The 32-year-old factory worker at Cimaf Cement was arrested on 16 June 2025 at the Tema Passport Application Centre. Authorities became suspicious when he applied for a passport claiming to be Ghanaian, born at Tema General Hospital to Ghanaian parents — Alhassan Varga, a former military officer, and Rose Tetteh. However, he could not provide proof or lead investigators to his supposed parents.
Investigations showed that Ogbona was actually born in Enugu State, Nigeria, to John and Rosemary Ogbona. There was no record of his birth at Tema General Hospital.
Court documents revealed Ogbona hired an agent to falsify documents and successfully obtained a Ghanaian birth certificate and Ghana Card before applying for the passport online.
Further checks confirmed that he entered Ghana illegally near the Aflao border without proper travel documents or clearance.
Inspector Jerry Foster Segbefia, leading the prosecution, said Ogbona intended to use the Ghanaian passport to travel to the United Kingdom in search of better opportunities.
The court also imposed fines totaling several thousand Ghana cedis, with default terms of imprisonment. All sentences are to run concurrently.
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