Former Chief Executive Officer of the National Food and Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba, has been arrested at the Accra International Airport in Accra, according to a statement by Deputy Attorney-General, Dr Justice Srem-Sai on Sunday, July 5.
Mr Aludiba, who is standing trial for stealing and causing financial loss to the Republic, had been granted leave by the trial High Court to travel to the United Kingdom for a few days.
According to Dr Srem-Sai, the arrest followed an attempt by Mr Aludiba to use false means to empty his frozen bank account with Republic Bank on Thursday, 2 July 2026.
The Attorney-General is expected to, on Monday, July 6, seek a review of the court order that granted Mr Aludiba leave to travel out of the jurisdiction.
Background
Mr Aludiba, who led NAFCO, the state agency responsible for supplying foodstuff to the school feeding component of the Free Senior High School programme from 2017 to 2025, has been facing prosecution over allegations of stealing and causing financial loss to the state running into tens of millions of Ghana cedis.
He and his wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni, were re-arraigned in May 2026 on 20 charges, including stealing, defrauding by false pretences, money laundering and abuse of public office, after the Attorney-General withdrew and restructured an earlier 24-count charge sheet. The two were granted a combined bail of GH¢63.5 million, with conditions including the deposit of their passports at the court registry and a requirement to report periodically to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
Prosecutors have alleged that Mr Aludiba diverted more than GH¢50 million in NAFCO funds through a network of companies linked to himself and his wife, including Sawtina Enterprise, Aludiba Enterprise, Energy Partners Limited and Fa-Hausa Ventures, with some of the accounts involved held at Republic Bank’s Labone branch. A trial date of 15 July 2026 has already been set by the High Court.
It is not yet clear what specific means Mr Aludiba is alleged to have used in the attempt to access the frozen account, or what his current custody status is following the airport arrest.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
