The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has secured the conviction of a 41-year-old Nigerian woman for attempting to acquire a Ghanaian passport using forged nationality documents.
The convict, identified as Franca Wilson, pleaded guilty before the Adabraka District Court in Accra on May 12, 2026. She was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment with hard labour on three separate counts, with the sentences to run concurrently.
According to the GIS, Wilson, a welder, was arrested on April 24, 2026, at the Accra Passport Application Centre after immigration officers detected discrepancies in her nationality claims during the vetting process.
She was subsequently referred to the National Enforcement Department at the GIS Headquarters for further investigations.
Investigators established that Wilson is a Nigerian national born in River State to Nigerian parents. However, she allegedly submitted a forged birth certificate claiming she was born in Somanya in the Eastern Region to a Ghanaian mother.
The GIS said Wilson failed to provide credible details about the alleged Ghanaian parent during investigations.
In a statement, the Service noted that “vigilant officers detected inconsistencies in her nationality claims during the vetting process,” leading to her arrest and further interrogation.
Further investigations revealed that Wilson had fraudulently obtained a birth certificate with Entry No. 310 and a Ghana Card bearing ID number GHA-731395447-1 through an agent.
The Service added that the same agent facilitated her online passport application and booked her appointment at the passport application centre.
According to the GIS, Wilson admitted to the offences in her caution statement.
The Ghana Immigration Service cautioned the public, particularly foreign nationals, against engaging individuals who claim they can illegally secure Ghanaian identity or travel documents.
The Service reiterated that attempts to fraudulently obtain Ghanaian identity or travel documents constitute serious offences under Ghanaian law and would attract severe sanctions.
