News
Nigerian Citizen Arrested on an Attempt to Register Ghana Card Contrary to Law
A foreigner who forged documents and impersonated as a Ghanaian, Derrick Armstrong, has been sentenced by the Madina District Court for trying to register for a Ghana Card contrary to the law.
This information was contained in a press release by the National Identification Authority (NIA) on facebook.
The incident reportedly took place on Thursday, 29th April, 2021 at the Premium Registration Centre established at the Headquarters of the National Identification Authority (NIA).
According to the NIA, the culprit is a Nigerian citizen, and a resident of Lapaz in Accra.
Carrying a Ghanaian passport, a Ghanaian birth certificate and other registration requirements, Armstrong claimed he was a Ghanaian, and hence eligible for the Ghana Card.
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“In the course of the usual stringent interview by the NIA registration officials, it was suspected that Armstrong was not a Ghanaian”, the statement said.
Mr. Armstrong claimed he was a Ghanaian, and that both of his parents hailed from Ghana. But investigations done by the NIA proved that Armstrong was lying and that both his mother and father were Nigerians.
The NIA officials quickly handed him to the Police CID detachment located at NIA’s Headquarters.
After further investigation, he has been arrested, and sentenced to four months imprisonment on 3 charges;
1. Possession of forged documents; contrary to section 166 of the Criminal offences Act 1960(Act 29)
2. Defrauding by False Pretense; contrary to section 13(1)(32) of the Criminal Offences Act 1960(Act 29)
3. Deceiving Public Officer; contrary to section to Section 251 of the Criminal offences Act 1960(Act 29)
After the trial, Armstrong was found guilty on all counts. However, there was a leniency plea by a friend of the court who is a lawyer, and the accused was sentenced to a cumulative jail term of four months to run concurrently, and to be served at the Ankaful Prisons.
The court further ordered the complainant to request for a court order, in order to ensure the physical destruction and deletion of the documents in his possession from the individual organizations databases.
FULL RELEASE BELOW:
PRESS RELEASE
COURT SENTENCES A FOREIGNER WHO TRIED REGISTERING FOR GHANA CARD TO FOUR MONTHS IMPRISONMENT
Thursday, 29th APRIL 2021
The Madina District Court has sentenced Derick Armstrong, a Nigerian citizen, and a resident of Lapaz, suburb of Accra to four months imprisonment for falsely representing himself as a Ghanaian in an effort to register for the Ghana Card contrary to law.
Armstrong’s crime took place at the Premium Registration Centre established at the Headquarters of the National Identification Authority (NIA).
Carrying a Ghanaian passport, a Ghanaian birth certificate and other registration requirements, Armstrong claimed he was a Ghanaian, and hence eligible for the Ghana Card. In the course of the usual stringent interview by the NIA registration officials, it was suspected that Armstrong was not a Ghanaian. The NIA officials quickly handed him to the Police CID detachment located at NIA’s Headquarters for further investigation. Despite Armstrong’s initial claim that both his father and mother were Ghanaians, investigations later established that both his parents were Nigerians. The suspect was arraigned before the Madina District Court and charged with the following counts:
1. Possession of forged documents; contrary to section 166 of the Criminal offences Act 1960(Act 29)
2. Defrauding by False Pretense; contrary to section 13(1)(32) of the Criminal Offences Act 1960(Act 29)
3. Deceiving Public Officer; contrary to section to Section 251 of the Criminal offences Act 1960(Act 29)
At the end of the trial, the accused was found guilty on all counts, and after a plea of leniency by a friend of the court (a lawyer), the Presiding Judge sentenced the accused to a cumulative jail term of four months to run concurrently, and to be served at the Ankaful Prisons. The court further ordered the complainant to request for a court order, in order to ensure the physical destruction and deletion of the documents in his possession from the individual organizations databases.
The NIA wishes to commend the CID of the Ghana Police Service for the swift and efficient manner it investigated and prosecuted the offence.
Any foreign national, legally resident in Ghana, and with a valid resident permit can register for the Non-Citizen Card which is issued at various designated centers across the country including the NIA Headquarters. NIA wishes to caution that any foreigner who tries to register for the Ghana Card (Card meant for citizens only) shall be arrested and duly prosecuted.
End.
SIGNED
Abudu Abdul-Ganiyu
Ag Head, Corporate Affairs
