Fake Soldier Remanded by Accra Court Over GH¢192,000 Land Security Scam

A 43-year-old man accused of impersonating a soldier and defrauding a businessman of GH¢192,000 has been remanded into custody by an Accra Circuit Court.

The accused, Mahama Sani Razak, also known as Major Zack Gariba Tanko, pleaded not guilty to charges of defrauding Mr Lambon Justice Iddrisu by falsely claiming he could deploy military personnel to protect the complainant’s land from land guards.

Razak was remanded by Circuit Court Eleven and is scheduled to reappear on February 10, 2026. The court also ordered that he be taken to hospital for medical examination after he appeared in court on crutches and claimed he sustained injuries during his arrest.

Presenting the facts, Police Chief Inspector Ebenezer Teye-Okuffo told the court that the complainant is a businessman living at North Legon, while the accused claimed to be a miner residing at Dodowa in the Greater Accra Region.

According to the prosecution, the complainant owns parcels of land at Kwabenya and met the accused in March 2025, when Razak introduced himself as a military officer. He later took the complainant to Burma Camp, where he further represented himself as a Major attached to the Military Police Unit of the Ghana Armed Forces.

During their interactions, Mr Iddrisu informed the accused that land guards were harassing him on his Kwabenya property. Razak allegedly claimed he had the authority to deploy junior military officers to protect the land and demanded GH¢192,000 to carry out the operation.

The court heard that the complainant transferred the money through three different MTN Mobile Money numbers provided by the accused, each bearing different account names. However, after receiving the funds, Razak allegedly failed to carry out the agreement and subsequently went into hiding.

Investigations later revealed that Razak was not a member of the Ghana Armed Forces. Further checks established that one of the mobile money accounts used belonged to the accused’s wife, who admitted during police interrogation that she received and withdrew some amounts on his behalf.

Chief Inspector Teye-Okuffo said Razak was initially arraigned before Circuit Court Three on July 8, 2025, charged with fraud, and granted bail in the sum of GH¢300,000 with two justified sureties after pleading not guilty.

However, after meeting the bail conditions, the accused allegedly absconded, leading to the case being struck out on November 4, 2025, due to want of prosecution.

The prosecution told the court that in January 2026, the Accra Regional Police Command received information that Razak had been arrested at Akuse in the Eastern Region in connection with a similar offence. This led to the filing of a fresh charge sheet and his subsequent re-arraignment.

Counsel for the accused, Theophilus Donkor, urged the court to grant bail, arguing that Razak is a businessman with properties in East Legon and family ties, including wives who are police officers. He maintained that his client is presumed innocent and requires medical attention due to injuries allegedly sustained during arrest.

The prosecution opposed the bail application, describing the accused as a fugitive and insisting that he is likely to abscond again if granted bail.