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A Circuit Court in Atasemanso, Ghana, has sentenced three Nigerian nationals — Francis Friday, Linus Agwazie, and Russell Ekenze — to a combined 96 years in prison for a string of vehicle thefts carried out in Kumasi.
The conviction was confirmed in a statement issued by the Ashanti Regional Police’s Public Affairs Unit, signed by its head, Godwin Ahianyo.
The case comes at a time when public anger has been mounting in Ghana over alleged criminal activities linked to some Nigerians.
According to police, the men were apprehended on June 20 after being suspected of stealing parked cars. They were brought before the Atasemanso Circuit Court on July 22, where Ekenze admitted guilt while his accomplices denied the charges.
Ahianyo said, “On July 22, 2025, the suspects Francis Friday, Linus Agwazie, and Russell Ekenze were arraigned before the Atasemanso Circuit Court..
“During proceedings, Russell Ekenze pleaded guilty to the charges and was immediately convicted and sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment in hard labour. The other two suspects, Francis Friday and Linus Agwazie, pleaded not guilty.
“Subsequently, on July 23, 2025, the cases of Francis Friday and Linus Agwazie were heard at Circuit Court 3, where both were found guilty and each was sentenced to 8 years’ imprisonment on two counts, with the sentences to run concurrently.”
The spokesperson added that the convicts faced additional trials. “On the same day, Circuit Court 1 also heard additional charges against all three suspects, resulting in 20-year IHL sentences each, also on two counts, and to run concurrently.
“Finally, on July 24, 2025, Russell Ekenze was further convicted at Circuit Court 2, receiving an additional 10-year IHL sentence on two counts, to run concurrently with his existing sentence.
“All three convicts, Francis Friday, Linus Agwazie, and Russell Ekenze, are currently serving their sentences at the Kumasi Central Prison,” the statement read.
This incident adds to a growing list of Nigerians facing prosecution in Ghana. In May, a 32-year-old woman, Patience Gold, was sentenced by a Tarkwa Circuit Court to 20 years in prison for trafficking four women, one of whom was HIV-positive, for sex work.
In July, Ghanaian immigration officers arrested 50 Nigerians in Accra’s Ga South Municipality over alleged cybercrime and human trafficking, further deepening concerns about cross-border criminal activities.
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