Gifty Oware-Mensah, a former Deputy Director of the National Service Authority (NSA) and current Executive Council member of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), has been detained by the National Investigation Bureau (NIB) amid a widening probe into a payroll fraud scandal at the NSA.

Mrs. Oware-Mensah was taken into custody on Friday, March 7, 2025, and remains under detention, despite efforts to secure her release. Sources suggest that former New Patriotic Party (NPP) General Secretary, John Boadu, attempted to intervene on her behalf, but she was subsequently moved from the NIB facility to an undisclosed location.

The scandal broke after an exposé by The Fourth Estate revealed significant fraudulent activity within the NSA’s payroll system, involving the creation of ghost names. President John Dramani Mahama, addressing the issue in his first State of the Nation Address, urged law enforcement to take swift action against those implicated. Authorities have since ramped up their investigations, with a number of arrests already made.

Reports indicate that some suspects linked to the scheme may have fled the country. In response, President Mahama has ordered the freezing of their assets to prevent them from profiting from the alleged fraud.

Before her detention, Mrs. Oware-Mensah, who had only returned to Ghana on March 5, 2025, after a period abroad post-2024 elections, had expressed willingness to cooperate with the NIB. Her legal team was reportedly in talks with authorities about her voluntary engagement before her unexpected arrest.

As the investigation unfolds, more details are expected to emerge regarding the full extent of the scandal and the individuals involved.

Source:TheDotNews