The Inspector-General of Police, Christian Tetteh Yohuno, has ordered an investigation into allegations that some police officers stationed at Kibi were involved in the unauthorised withdrawal of GH¢400,000 from a mobile money agent’s account.

The directive follows the circulation of a viral video on social media claiming that officers may have played a role in the transaction.

In response, the IGP has tasked the Ghana Police Service to refer the matter to its Police Professional Standards Bureau for a full investigation.

Police say the individual believed to be the victim has been contacted and is cooperating with investigators as efforts continue to establish the facts surrounding the incident.

The Ghana Police Service has also assured the public that the investigation will be conducted professionally and transparently, adding that the outcome will be made public once the process is completed.

The development follows a complaint by a mobile money (MoMo) agent who alleged that some police officers attempted to take GH¢400,000 that passed through his account during a transaction linked to an ongoing investigation.

According to the agent, the issue began on December 11 last year when he realised that three SIM cards used for his mobile money business had been blacklisted.

He said he reported the matter to a nearby office of MTN Group, where checks reportedly indicated that the SIM cards had been flagged for investigations, although the reason was not explained to him.

The agent further claimed that shortly after the discovery, some officers from the Kumasi Central Police Station arrived at his MoMo stand and arrested him in connection with an alleged gold robbery case.

He explained that he was later handed over to a CID boss at the station for further questioning.

While at the station, he said police informed him that an individual had earlier visited his MoMo stand and transferred GH¢400,000 through the three SIM cards that were under investigation.

The agent has since expressed concern about how the case is being handled, alleging that some officers are attempting to take the money.

According to the complainant, the officers mentioned in connection with the matter include CID officer Francis Afedzi at Kibi, Crime Officer Osei, and other personnel from Tafo.

He is therefore calling for a proper investigation into the case to determine the origin of the funds and ensure due process.

Security concerns surrounding mobile money (MoMo) operations had previously been raised by a criminologist at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Dr. Jones Opoku-Ware.

Dr. Opoku-Ware had warned that the way many MoMo vendors operate in open public spaces exposes them to criminal attacks. He explained that the common setup used by small-scale vendors — typically small containers, umbrellas, chairs and tables — makes their financial transactions visible to the public and increases their vulnerability.

“Those small containers and umbrellas with chairs and tables expose their transactions to the public. This is a form of banking, though small-scale, so it should be well covered,” Dr. Opoku-Ware emphasized. “They can get a shop and, if possible, have security on-site.”

He had also called on telecommunications companies to introduce stricter safety requirements for mobile money operators in order to protect vendors and their customers.

According to him, telecom companies should require MoMo vendors to prove that they operate from secured and enclosed spaces that meet basic safety standards.

“The telcos must ensure the vendors can prove they operate in a safe and confined space with adequate security measures in place,” he said. “MoMo is creating a lot of jobs and helping people with their transactions, so it should not be done in open spaces that expose vendors to criminals.”

His comments had come at a time when mobile money services were expanding rapidly across Ghana, offering convenient financial services to many people, particularly in remote communities. However, the growth had also been accompanied by increasing concerns about theft, fraud and attacks targeting vendors.

In one such case in 2023, a police officer, Ernest Agyemang Darko, who was attached to the National Visibility Unit, was arrested for his involvement in a mobile money fraud case.

According to a police situational report obtained by MyNewsGh.com, the officer visited the Kasoa branch of MTN Ghana on November 29, 2023, and conducted transactions amounting to GH¢14,460.

However, he failed to produce the corresponding cash after the transactions were completed. He was later taken to a branch of CBG Bank, where he claimed to hold an account, but the bank had already closed for the day.

The MoMo agent subsequently alerted nearby police officers, which led to his arrest.

In his caution statement, Constable Ernest Agyemang Darko admitted that he had neither cash on him nor funds in his bank account when he carried out the transactions.

He explained that he had proceeded with the transactions because he was under pressure from individuals he owed money to and had also suffered losses through betting.

Meanwhile, MTN had earlier warned against the illegal practice of splitting mobile money cash transactions and encouraged customers to report agents who engaged in such activities.

The company explained that it charges a fixed fee of GH¢10 for withdrawals of GH¢1000 and above at its service centres. However, some agents had been encouraging customers to split withdrawals into multiple transactions in order to collect additional charges.

For instance, a customer withdrawing GH¢3000 could be asked to carry out three separate withdrawals of GH¢1000 each, attracting a GH¢10 fee per transaction instead of a single GH¢10 charge.

Mawuena Agogo, Retail Experience Manager for the Eastern, Volta and Oti regions at MTN, had described the practice as illegal and urged customers to report such incidents to any MTN office or by dialing 100.

“Because such transactions are personal encounters, the system could not capture them, which is why we are urging clients to report them, so the necessary action is taken,” he said.

He added that some agents who had been reported had been sanctioned and ordered to refund the extra charges to affected customers.

Mr. Agogo had made the remarks during a meeting with informal sector clients at Akyem Tafo, where MTN officials engaged customers on fraud prevention and other challenges affecting mobile money users.

Participants at the forum raised several concerns, including high transaction charges, poor network connectivity and fraudulent activities on MoMo platforms.

One trader who attended the meeting complained that she had been charged GH¢40 when withdrawing GH¢4,000 after being asked by an agent to split the withdrawal into four separate transactions.

During the engagement, Georgina Asare-Fiagbenu, Senior Corporate Communications Manager at MTN, urged customers to remain vigilant and avoid responding to unsolicited offers or requests.

She also dismissed claims that MTN agents were directly involved in widespread fraud, explaining that the company’s large customer base often made its users targets for scammers.

“We have more customers than all others, so our customers are easily targeted,” she said.

Customers were therefore advised to exercise caution, as fraudsters could only succeed when individuals complied with their demands or instructions.

The forum also addressed issues such as mobile money education, Ayo insurance, network challenges and other services aimed at improving customer awareness and experience.