- Trio gets 50-year jail term for attempted robbery
- Convicts planned to rob cocoa-purchasing clerk
- Fourth suspect still on the run
A Nigerian national and two Ghanaians have been sentenced to a combined total of 50 years in prison for attempted robbery at Wawase-Semanhyia in the Assin North District.
The convicted individuals, Francis Baidoo, 30, a driver; Wisdom Aleki, 24, a tricycle rider; and Mohammed Baba, 38, a Nigerian beautician were found guilty at the conclusion of their trial, despite pleading not guilty. A fourth suspect, Francis Larbi, remains at large, with police actively searching for him.
The Assin-Kyerewere Circuit Court, presided over by Justice Emmanuel Amoh-Yartey, sentenced Baidoo and Aleki to 15 years each for conspiracy to commit a crime and attempted robbery. Baba, on the other hand, was given a 20-year sentence for conspiracy to commit a crime, causing harm, and attempted robbery.
The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Gilbert Abagna Anyongo, revealed that the convicts had planned to rob Emmanuel Obese, a cocoa-purchasing clerk, on Thursday, December 19, 2024, at Wawase-Semanhyia. To carry out their scheme, the three men rented a Toyota Vitz from Accra Mall to transport them to their target location.
Upon arriving at Wawase-Semanhyia around 1:00 a.m., the convicts, armed with a short gun and other offensive weapons, began executing their robbery plan. However, their plot was foiled when a witness spotted the group and raised the alarm.
In the ensuing chaos, the men fled into the bush, but the local community quickly organized a manhunt. As the pursuit intensified, Baba and Baidoo attacked and robbed commuters, inflicting knife wounds. Despite their efforts to escape, the two were eventually overpowered and arrested. Larbi, however, managed to escape and remains at large.
