A Nigerian whose name has been given as Usman Emmanuel has been slapped with a fine of GH¢3,000 by the Asokore Mampong District Magistrate Court for posing as a Ghanaian to register for the National ID Card, popularly known as Ghana Card.
Carrying a Ghanaian birth certificate, Usman Emmanuel went through the registration process until he got to the point of being issued the Ghana Card.
It was at this point that the Ashanti Region Registration Officer (RRO) of the National Identification Authority (NIA) suspected the applicant was not a Ghanaian.
He was immediately handed over to the Adum Police for further investigations.
“The investigation established that despite being in possession of a valid Ghanaian birth certificate, Usman Emmanuel was not a Ghanaian,” a statement from NIA said.
The suspect was arraigned before court on charges of falsely providing information about himself contrary to section 17(c) of the NIA Act 707.
Failure of Usman Emmanuel to pay the fine will see him serve six months in jail.
Commending the Detective Chief Inspector at the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ashanti Regional Police Command, Abu Hassan Dauda, for the “swift” and “efficient” manner the case was investigated, NIA indicated that any foreign national legally resident in Ghana can register for the Non-Citizen Card.
“NIA also wishes to caution that any foreigner who tries to register for the Ghana Card (Card meant for citizens only) shall be arrested and duly prosecuted,” the statement signed by NIA’s Acting Head for Corporate Affairs Abudu Abdul-Ganiyu concluded.
By Emmanuel Kwame Amoh|editors.3news.com|Ghana
