A Ghanaian High Court has sentenced 32-year-old Nigerian national, Ifeanyi Uche, to ten years in prison with hard labor after he was found guilty of armed robbery in Accra’s East Legon Hills area, intensifying cross-border concerns over rising violent crime.
The verdict, delivered on Friday, June 14, 2025, follows a six-month trial during which the prosecution presented CCTV footage, eyewitness accounts, and forensic evidence linking Uche to a violent home invasion on January 20. Armed with a locally manufactured pistol, he reportedly stormed a residence with two unidentified accomplices, robbing a Ghanaian woman of cash, jewelry, and electronic gadgets worth over GHS 70,000 (approximately $5,400).
Police investigators said Uche was arrested three days later at a hideout in Madina following a tip-off from residents. Authorities recovered the stolen iPhone and portions of the jewelry, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend his fleeing accomplices, believed to have crossed into Nigeria through unapproved border routes in the Volta Region.
During the trial, prosecutors revealed that Uche entered Ghana illegally in October 2024 and had evaded immigration monitoring for months. His conviction is part of a growing trend of foreign nationals being implicated in organized criminal activity in Ghana’s urban neighborhoods, prompting calls for tighter border surveillance and improved intelligence-sharing between Ghana and Nigeria.
Justice Afua Sarpong, who presided over the case, described the crime as “a grave threat to public safety,” adding that Uche’s action “endangered the sanctity of peaceful living in residential communities.” She ordered the ten-year sentence to be served without parole, with hard labor included as a deterrent.
The Nigerian High Commission in Ghana declined to comment publicly on the ruling but confirmed it is monitoring the case. Meanwhile, local Ghanaian media have highlighted the growing concern over violent crimes involving foreign suspects, with over 27 cases recorded in the Greater Accra Region between January and May 2025 alone.
Human rights advocates have called for a balance between justice and dignity for foreign nationals facing trial abroad. However, residents of East Legon Hills welcomed the sentencing, with many urging Ghanaian authorities to “tighten the screws” on transnational crime and illegal migration.
