We Got Him! Bright Mensah Bonsu Arrested Over $1.5m Diplomatic Property Sale in Nigeria - Ablakwa Reveals

Accra, Ghana - 15 April, 2025 - Ghana's Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has announced the arrest of Bright Mensah Bonsu, a key suspect in a high-profile scandal involving the attempted sale of a prime diplomatic property belonging to Ghana's High Commission in Nigeria.

Mensah Bonsu, who claimed to be a special aide to the late Ghana High Commissioner to Nigeria, Alhaji Rashid Bawa, allegedly received $1.5 million in cash as part of the deal, without paying it into government accounts or declaring it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The diplomatic property in question, valued at $5.3 million, is a Lagos beachfront asset that Mensah Bonsu and his collaborators sought to sell, with the $1.5 million payment considered the first installment. However, the deal appears to have fallen through following the 2024 elections, and Mensah Bonsu's arrest marks a significant breakthrough in the case.

According to Minister Ablakwa, Mensah Bonsu's claims of acting on instructions from superiors will be scrutinized in court, particularly regarding how he accessed documents related to the diplomatic property. The government has assured that justice will be served, and those involved in the scandal will face consequences.

The administration has also emphasized its commitment to protecting Ghana's international image and bilateral relations with Nigeria.

The investigation has raised questions about how Mensah Bonsu, who wasn't a staff member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Ghana High Commission in Nigeria, was issued a diplomatic passport by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government in October 2023.

According to Ablakwa, the government is determined to recover the $1.5 million and bring perpetrators to justice, reaffirming that no diplomatic property belonging to Ghana is for sale.

''We got him!

''Bright Mensah Bonsu, the man who received US$1.5million cash and signed documents purporting to sell a prime diplomatic property belonging to Ghana’s High Commission in Nigeria has finally been arrested by Ghanaian security operatives. Bright Mensah Bonsu describes himself as a special aide to former Ghana High Commissioner to Nigeria, the late Alhaji Rashid Bawa who was appointed by President Akufo-Addo.

''It is important to emphasize that the US$1.5million cash was not paid into government accounts neither is there any record at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the cash was officially declared. Documents reveal that Bright Mensah Bonsu and his collaborators had valued the prime Lagos beachfront diplomatic property at US$5.3million and considered the US$1.5million payment as the first installment. The outcome of the 2024 elections must have thwarted their plans.

''We are also investigating the circumstances under which Bright Mensah Bonsu was issued a diplomatic passport on October 18, 2023 by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government when from all assessments, he could not have been eligible for a diplomatic passport. Bright Mensah Bonsu was not a staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Ghana High Commission in Nigeria even though he was often seen in the company of the High Commissioner.

''As we await criminal prosecution shortly, it would be interesting to see how Mr. Mensah Bonsu backs his claims that he acted on the instructions of his superiors, and that those superiors gave him access to documents on the diplomatic property. This latest significant development should send clear assurances to Nigerian government officials and the Nigerian attempted buyer who have all desperately petitioned the Mahama government demanding our intervention, that consistent with what we have always said, we take this matter very seriously and will do everything in our power to bring the notorious criminals to justice and recover the US$1.5million.

''The Mahama administration would not shield anyone who played a role in this grand conspiracy not only to commit crime but to dent Ghana’s enviable international image. The Government of Ghana is equally determined not to allow this condemnable incident to mar our great and ancestral bilateral relations with Nigeria.

''We promised that justice will be done, we are keeping our word. Let me state for the umpteenth time, no diplomatic property belonging to the people of Ghana is for sale — severe consequences awaits anyone who tests our resolve,'' Ablakwa wrote on his X account (formerly Twitter) on April 15, 2025.

Source:  Lead News Online