A high-stakes land protection scam involving impersonation, mobile money transactions, and a bogus military officer has landed a couple in legal trouble, as they appeared before the Accra Circuit Court on charges of fraud.
Mahama Saani Razak, also known as Major Zack Gariba Tanko, and his wife, Hudu Fatimata Neina, are at the center of the case after allegedly defrauding a lawyer of GHS192,000 under the pretense of providing military security for his land in Kwabenya. Razak is accused of masquerading as a senior officer in the Ghana Armed Forces to win the complainant’s trust.
The couple, facing charges of conspiracy to defraud and defrauding by false pretences, pleaded not guilty. The court, presided over by Her Honour Evelyn Asamoah, granted each of them bail to the tune of GHS300,000 with two sureties, which must be justified with movable property.
Prosecutors say Razak exploited the complainant’s fear of land guard invasions, offering to deploy supposed “junior military officers” to secure the land. He reportedly went as far as escorting the complainant to Burma Camp to stage credibility as a Military Police “Major.”
Payments totaling GHS192,000 were transferred via mobile money to accounts linked to Hudu and two other individuals—Abdul-Aziz Alhassan and Isaaka Dogoma. However, the promised land security never materialized, and the accused duo allegedly vanished, prompting the lawyer to report the matter to police.
Investigations revealed Razak had no ties to the military, confirming the impersonation. When arrested, Razak denied all wrongdoing in his caution statement. Hudu, however, admitted that mobile money transfers were made to her account, which she withdrew on her husband’s instructions.
The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Ebenezer Teye Okuffo, has been ordered to file disclosures and witness statements by July 30, 2025. The case is set to continue on August 8, 2025.
The incident highlights growing concerns over land scams in the capital, where fraudsters exploit weak land security and public fears of land guard violence to dupe unsuspecting property owners.
