‘Journalist’ In Court Over Alleged GH¢1.7m Extortion Charge

The Dansoman Circuit Court has granted a combined bail of GH¢3.8 million to two men charged with attempting to extort money from Dr. Mohammed Sani Abdulai, a Programme Director of a public financial project.

The accused – Nigel Cedrick Bailey – a 52-year-old building contractor and Yahaya Alhassan Galadima, a 48-year-old self-styled activist – were arraigned on two counts: conspiracy to commit extortion and attempted extortion, contrary to sections 23(1), 18(1) and 151 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

The two pleaded not guilty before Her Honour Halimah, who presided over the proceedings. She granted each accused person bail of GH¢1.8 million with three sureties, one of whom must justify the bail amount with title deeds equivalent to the sum.

Both accused are also required to deposit their Ghana Cards with the court registry and report to the police every two weeks.

Due to the high financial implication of the alleged offence, which exceeds the prosecution’s jurisdiction, the case has been referred to the Attorney General’s Department for legal advice. The court is set to reconvene on May 28, 2025.

Background of the Case

According to the prosecution, the complainant, Dr. Abdulai, had contracted Bailey in November 2023 to build a house in Accra.

Midway through the project, Bailey reportedly began neglecting his duties, prompting the complainant to raise concerns with the site foreman.

Bailey allegedly abandoned the project and later recruited Galadima to pose as a journalist in a bid to extort GH¢1.7 million from the complainant.

Galadima allegedly threatened to tarnish the complainant’s reputation through media publications if the money was not paid.

He followed up with two letters under the letterhead “Ghana Eye,” demanding the payment. The complainant, after failed attempts to settle the matter through legal counsel, reported the incident to the police.

On February 5, 2025, the complainant arranged a meeting at the Lancaster Hotel under the guise of making payment. Police moved in and arrested both suspects, leading to their prosecution.

 

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