The Central North Regional Police Command has said that a phone dealer and elder of the Pentecost Church, Albert Ogoe, was arrested in connection with an alleged GH¢200,000 fraud case and was not kidnapped, Citi Newsroom and Modern Ghana reported on 8 October 2026.
Reports had circulated that Mr Ogoe was abducted on 4 October 2026 at Nyankumase Ahenkuro in the Assin South District of the Central Region, with alleged abductors demanding GH¢200,000 as ransom, the outlets reported.
The Central North Regional Crime Officer, Chief Superintendent Edmund Agyemang Badu, clarified that personnel from the Police Intelligence Unit at National Police Headquarters arrested Mr Ogoe at a hideout in connection with the alleged fraud and took him to Accra to assist investigations, according to the same reports.
Chief Superintendent Agyemang Badu said the police team asked Mr Ogoe to contact his family at the point of arrest to explain why he had been taken into custody. He said Mr Ogoe was reluctant to do so because he is a church elder and was concerned that news of his alleged involvement could become public, Citi Newsroom reported.
Police subsequently used his phone to contact his wife and informed her that he had been arrested in connection with the alleged fraud case, both outlets reported.
The family later reported at another police station that Mr Ogoe had been kidnapped, which led to the circulation of the abduction claims, according to the police account reported by Citi Newsroom and Modern Ghana.
The Central North Regional Police Command urged the public to disregard the kidnapping reports, called for calm, and said it remained committed to maintaining peace and security in the area.
As of these reports, the outlets had not published a charge sheet or court appearance details for Mr Ogoe. He remains a suspect assisting investigations unless and until a court rules otherwise.