Three Nigerians Arrested in Tema Over Alleged SIM Box Fraud and $700,000 Cryptocurrency Scheme
Three Nigerian nationals have been arrested and arraigned before an Accra Circuit Court over an alleged SIM box fraud operation at Sakumono in Tema West, in a case that exposes the growing intersection of telecommunications crime and cryptocurrency laundering in Ghana.
Olanrewaju Adedeji Segun, Timileyin Fakunle, and Olamide Roheemot — all described as data managers — face charges including conspiracy to commit crime, operating an electronic communication service without a licence from the National Communications Authority, possession of unregistered SIM cards, and obstruction of communication. Three alleged accomplices, including a Chinese national identified only as Tommy, remain at large.
A Sophisticated Operation
The investigation began on January 20, 2026, when the Accra Regional Police Command received intelligence that occupants of a house on Celebrity Hills Avenue in Sakumono had installed electronic equipment for fraudulent purposes.
Two days later, officers from the Regional Criminal Investigations Department executed a search warrant issued by the Adabraka District Court across three apartments. The scale of the operation was striking: investigators recovered 52 SIM boxes, 1,040 assorted mobile phones, 26 desktop computers, six internet routers, and a quantity of unregistered SIM cards.
The Cyber Security Authority, operating under an Order of Retention and Examination, subsequently examined the devices and confirmed the setup was a phone farming scam centre — a system designed to route international calls through local SIM cards to avoid standard interconnect charges, generating illicit revenue at the expense of licensed operators and their customers.
From Mobile Money to Cryptocurrency
Beyond the telecommunications fraud, investigators uncovered a financial pipeline that converted stolen funds into cryptocurrency and moved them out of the country. Prosecutors allege the accused persons fraudulently intercepted victims’ communications and obtained funds through mobile money payments, then systematically converted those funds into digital currency.
Between June 2025 and January 2026, the operation allegedly transferred $700,000 into cryptocurrency — a figure that underscores both the scale of the fraud and the challenge regulators face in tracking illicit financial flows through decentralised digital assets.
The case raises uncomfortable questions about Ghana’s vulnerability to transnational cybercrime networks that exploit the country’s advanced mobile money infrastructure. With mobile money transactions now exceeding GH¢500 billion monthly, the platform’s ubiquity has made it an attractive target for organised fraud.
Legal Proceedings
All three accused persons pleaded not guilty and have been remanded in custody to reappear on June 4, 2026. Chief Inspector Wisdom Alowru, leading the prosecution, successfully argued for remand as investigations continue.
The case also highlights the operational challenges facing Ghana’s Cyber Security Authority, which was established in 2021 and is still building capacity to handle the volume and sophistication of digital crimes emerging across the country.
Image Source: GHANA BUSINESS NEWS
