Two remanded over alleged GH¢800,000 spiritual fraud
An Accra Circuit Court has remanded two men into police custody over an alleged GH¢800,000 fraud involving a Ghanaian resident in the United States.
The accused, Bilyaminu Ibrahim, a media worker, and Mohammed Musah, a journalist, have been charged with conspiracy to commit crime, namely defrauding by false pretence, defrauding by false pretence and harbouring a criminal, respectively.
The prosecution alleges that Ibrahim obtained GH¢800,000 from the complainant under the guise of helping to protect her and her mother from spiritual attacks.
Chief Inspector Ramata Asumah, who led the prosecution, identified Fawuziya Issaka as the complainant and younger sister of the alleged victim, Tourwana Katakarauo, who lives in the United States.
According to the prosecution, the alleged scheme began in 2021 when Katakaraou Jabiru, an alleged accomplice of Ibrahim who is currently at large, learnt that Tourwana was experiencing difficulties in the United States.
Jabiru allegedly approached Fawuziya and claimed he knew a spiritualist who could help resolve the problems. Ibrahim was subsequently said to have presented himself as that spiritualist.
The prosecution told the court that Ibrahim and Jabiru allegedly collected GH¢800,000 from Tourwana in instalments, claiming the money was required for sacrifices and other spiritual activities intended to protect her and her mother.
They allegedly later told Tourwana that her late father owed an unidentified person who was seeking to haunt her spiritually. The allegations reportedly led to further payments said to be needed for Quran recitals and other spiritual activities.
In 2023, the prosecution said, Jabiru learnt that Tourwana's mother had suffered a stroke and allegedly informed Ibrahim that someone was attempting to subject her to a similar attack.
The two men allegedly demanded additional funds to provide spiritual protection and redirect the purported attack to the “sender”. They were also said to have received further payments from Tourwana as appreciation.
According to the prosecution, efforts by family elders to resolve the matter were unsuccessful, resulting in a formal complaint to the Police.
Investigators subsequently arrested Ibrahim, who allegedly admitted that he had posed as a spiritualist. Police also recovered GH¢49,000 from him during the investigation.
The prosecution said Jabiru fled to Togo after learning of Ibrahim's arrest but returned to Ghana in September 2026 and went to stay with Ibrahim and Musah at Dodowa.
On October 1, Police officers who went to Jabiru's residence reportedly met Musah, who told them that Jabiru had gone out.
The prosecution said Musah later sent Jabiru a text message stating: “Don't come to the House.”
Musah allegedly admitted in his statement to investigators that he sent the message because he did not want Jabiru to be arrested.
Jabiru remains at large.
Ibrahim and Musah are scheduled to reappear before the court, presided over by Mr Joseph Kunsong, on October 20, 2026.
Musah has denied the charge of harbouring a criminal.