Tricycle Rider Jailed for Smuggling Four Nigerians into Ghana

A 32-year-old Nigerian tricycle rider, Mustapha Usman, has been sentenced to seven months in prison by the Denu Circuit Court for helping four fellow Nigerians illegally enter Ghana. His sentence includes three months for migrant smuggling and four months for making a false representation, both running concurrently.

Usman, who appeared in court without a lawyer, pleaded guilty to the charges after they were read in Hausa with help from the Ghana Police Service. He will be held at the Aflao Police Station until his transfer to the Ho Central Prison. The four migrants he assisted have already been repatriated.

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The court heard from DSI Emmanuel Faith Otchere-Baffour that Usman, a tricycle rider living in Togo, was arrested by Ghana Immigration Service officers at the Aflao Border. He had been paid GH¢200 by each migrant to transport them from Lomé, Togo, to Kojoviakope, Ghana.

Upon arrival, Usman contacted an associate named Remy, who remains at large, to aid the illegal entry. The migrants were hidden in Usman’s tricycle to avoid detection. The plan unraveled when immigration officers intercepted the tricycle after it crossed the border.

Usman then identified himself as the owner while the other rider escaped. Investigators learned the migrants had pooled their money for the journey. Usman faced charges under the Immigration Act for migrant smuggling and for making false representations.