A legal case involving an alleged accommodation scam at the University of Ghana has come to a surprising end, as the Accra Circuit Court has discharged all three accused — a senior lecturer and two students — after the university opted to halt the prosecution.
The three individuals were at the centre of accusations that they had orchestrated a scheme to collect funds from students in exchange for non-existent beds and rooms at the Dr Hilla Liman Hall. Over GH₵106,000 was said to have been collected from 32 unsuspecting students, with each paying between GH₵2,000 and GH₵2,500.
Initially, the trio — Dr Kwadwo Owusu Ayeh, a senior hall tutor and lecturer, along with Joseph Appiah, 25, and Stephen Nimako Ansong, 24, both final-year students — were facing a total of 32 counts of defrauding by false pretences. Additional charges included conspiracy and corruption-related offences.
Their arrest followed a petition from the University’s Pro Vice Chancellor, Prof. Gordon Awandare, which triggered an investigation by the Accra Regional Criminal Investigations Department in October 2023. The detectives discovered that dozens of students had paid for accommodation that never materialised, believing the accused could facilitate access to rooms at the hall.
During police interrogation, the students reportedly implicated the lecturer in the alleged scheme, suggesting he had collaborated with them to identify students seeking housing. The prosecution claimed that the accused coordinated efforts to solicit payments while making promises that were never fulfilled.
However, the dynamics of the case changed drastically when the University of Ghana — the original complainant — submitted a formal request to discontinue the criminal proceedings. This followed the full repayment of the GH₵106,800 to the police by the two student defendants.
With the university’s decision to step back from the case, the court, led by Judge Isaac Addo, officially struck out the charges and discharged all three. Additionally, the judge directed the police to ensure all 32 affected students receive refunds.
Though the case stirred widespread concern over integrity in student accommodation processes, the legal chapter has now closed, with no convictions entered and all accused regaining their freedom.
