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A 43-year-old man who allegedly posed as a soldier to defraud 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, is alleged to have falsely claimed he was a senior officer of the Ghana Armed Forces and used that representation to extort money under the pretext of providing military protection against land guards.
Razak pleaded not guilty to charges of defrauding Mr Lambon Justice Iddrisu, a businessman based at North Legon, after allegedly assuring him that he and some junior military officers would protect his land at Kwabenya.
He was remanded by Circuit Court Eleven and is expected to reappear on February 10, 2026. The court also directed the prosecution to send the accused, who appeared in court on crutches, to a hospital for medical examination after he claimed he sustained injuries during his arrest.
Presenting the facts of the case, Police Chief Inspector Ebenezer Teye-Okuffo told the court that the complainant 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 claimed to be a Major stationed at the Military Police Unit.
According to the prosecution, the complainant informed the accused about harassment by land guards on his Kwabenya land. The accused then claimed he had the authority to deploy soldiers to secure the land and demanded payment for the operation.
Convinced by the representation, the complainant paid GH¢192,000 to the accused through three different MTN Mobile Money accounts with varying account names.
After receiving the money, Razak allegedly failed to provide the promised security and went into hiding. Subsequent checks at the Ghana Armed Forces confirmed that the accused was not a military officer.
Following the discovery, the complainant reported the matter to the police, leading to the accused’s arrest. Investigations further revealed that one of the Mobile Money accounts used belonged to the accused’s wife, who admitted during interrogation that she received and withdrew some of the funds on her husband’s behalf.
Chief Inspector Teye-Okuffo disclosed that the accused was first arraigned before Circuit Court Three on July 8, 2025, where he pleaded not guilty and was granted bail in the sum of GH¢300,000 with two justified sureties.
However, after meeting the bail conditions, the accused allegedly absconded, leading to the case being struck out on November 4, 2025, for want of prosecution.
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. A new charge sheet was subsequently filed, and he was brought before the court.
Counsel for the accused, Theophilus Donkor, prayed the court to grant bail, arguing that Razak was a businessman with fixed assets, including shops and houses at East Legon. He also claimed the accused needed medical attention and was assaulted during his arrest.
The prosecution opposed the bail application, describing the accused as a fugitive who was likely to abscond again if granted bail. The court upheld the prosecution’s objection and remanded the accused into custody.
