COP Lydia Yaako Donkor
The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, in collaboration with the Bank of Ghana (BoG), has announced the arrest of 41 individuals in a major joint operation targeting illegal foreign exchange trading in Accra.
Addressing the media on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, the Director-General of the CID, COP Lydia Yaako Donkor, said the operation—conducted at Tudu, Circle, Okaishie and Osu—was informed by sustained intelligence pointing to persistent illegal forex activities at these hotspots.
The suspects include Ghanaian, Togolese, Beninoise and Nigerian nationals. Police retrieved GHC1,266,770 in cash, 100,000 CFA, ₦3,383,570 (including ₦1,266,770 in e-cash), and US$5,105 during the swoop. All exhibits have been secured and are being transferred to the Bank of Ghana for safekeeping as investigations continue.
An hour after the initial arrests, the task force returned to the same areas and apprehended an additional 12 suspects. COP Donkor noted that the operation forms part of a broader national crackdown that began in August 2025. So far, 90 suspects have been arrested, with 13 already processed and charged before the Accra Circuit Court.
She also recalled a similar exercise on November 20, 2025, during which 20 suspects were arrested at Osu Oxford Street and Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
COP Donkor urged the public to transact all foreign exchange business through licensed financial institutions, warning that unlicensed forex trading remains illegal under Ghanaian law. She assured that the joint enforcement operation will continue across all regions to sanitise the forex market.
The CID expressed appreciation to the Bank of Ghana for its continued collaboration and reaffirmed its commitment to prosecuting offenders to promote economic stability.
