Ward assistant granted bail over alleged GH¢675,000 military recruitment scam

A 41-year-old ward assistant has been granted bail by an Accra court after being accused of taking money from people under the pretext of securing their recruitment into the Ghana Armed Forces.

Patience Mbaye is alleged to have collected GH¢675,000 from 26 persons who were seeking enlistment into the military.

She has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit crime and three counts of defrauding by false pretences.

The court admitted her to bail in the sum of GH¢100,000 with three justified sureties.

One of the sureties must be a public servant.

Mbaye was also ordered to report to the case investigator every Wednesday and Friday.

The case has been adjourned to July 27, 2026.

Inspector Frank Morgan Dorvi, prosecuting, told the court that Mbaye allegedly acted together with Ex-Senior Warrant Officer Jeffery Naboung, who is currently at large.

According to the prosecution, Naboung allegedly collected GH¢1,005,000 from 47 other persons under the same recruitment arrangement.

The complainants in the case are Fatima Adam, a Prisons Officer, and Abdul Malik Ali, an okada rider.

The prosecution said between 2023 and 2024, Ali met Mbaye, who allegedly claimed she had links to help interested persons join the Ghana Armed Forces.

Ali later informed his sister about the opportunity.

Fatima also became interested and contacted Mbaye by telephone to confirm whether the arrangement was genuine.

The prosecution said Mbaye allegedly assured Fatima that she and Naboung had already helped several people gain recruitment into the military.

Mbaye is alleged to have directed Ali to pay GH¢25,000 into a bank account provided by Naboung.

Investigators say Mbaye and Naboung later received various sums through their GCB Bank accounts from persons seeking recruitment into the Ghana Armed Forces.

The prosecution said despite collecting the money, the accused persons failed to secure the promised recruitment.

They also allegedly failed to refund the money after repeated demands.

The matter was later reported to the police, leading to Mbaye’s arrest and arraignment.