Peter Michael Ifeanyi, a Nigerian computer engineer also known by his pseudonym, Peter Yaw Asare, was sentenced to 450 days in prison by the Madina District Court for two failed attempts to get a Ghanaian passport.

Ifeanyi, age 26, admitted to trying to get Ghanaian passports through a fraudulent claim.

The judge accepted his guilty plea and sentenced him to jail time without the possibility of a fine.

Adolf Assenso, the Chief Superintendent of Immigration for the Prosecution, testified that the defendant had a history of disobeying orders and was renowned for his brazen behaviour.

He asked the judge to give the defendant a lengthy prison term without the possibility of a fine as a deterrent to others who might consider committing the same crime.

According to the Prosecution’s account, the convicted individual was apprehended on January 4, 2023, in the vicinity of Tema Station in Accra, at the Accra Passport Application Centre.

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It stated that the Ghana Immigration Service suspected the accused person was not a Ghanaian when he was applying for a passport.

After then, he was forwarded to the Immigration Headquarters’ National Enforcement Section for follow-up questions.

The Prosecution further informed the Court that the Accused had previously been arrested on November 17, 2022, at the Premium Passport Application Centre (Premium PAC), Circle Accra, for the same offence.

On December 8, 2022, the defendant was charged with violating Section 52 of the Ghana Immigration Act, 2000 (Act 573), which prohibits providing false information to get a Ghanaian passport. The defendant was initially released on service enquiry bail pending a determination of guilt.

The Prosecution claimed the defendant was scheduled to appear in Kaneshie District Court on December 20, 2022, but the accused did not show up.

Authorities at the Birth and Death Registry and the National Identification Authority say the accused person tricked them into giving him back the same Ghanaian birth certificate (entry number: 1867) and Ghana Card (personal ID number: GHA-728134693-3) that he had previously used to enter the country illegally. Both documents were taken into custody by the Ghana Immigration Service.