From left: Yussif Yakubu, Razak Abdul Shaibu, Banabas Kayase, and Opoku Agyeman
Four persons including the driver of Akua Donkor, founder of the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP) and a 2016 presidential hopeful have been dragged before an Accra Circuit Court for robbery.
They are: Yakubu Yusif, Trader and the Central Regional Chairman of the GFP, Banabas Kayase, Driver/secretary of the party, Opoku Agyemang, Trader and Abdul Razak Shaibu, a member of the GPRTU Task Force.
Two other accomplices-Joe and Nuamah aka Lion are currently on the run.
Charges
According to Chief Superintendent Duutu Tuaruka, the six persons on December 30, 2016 at Taifa in Accra conspired to rob the GFP Flagbearer.
The prosecution said the accused persons at about 2:30am at Sowutuom, a suburb of Accra robbed Akua at gunpoint and snatched her travelling bag containing plane ticket, Ghanaian passport, Voter’s ID Card, $30,000 and GH¢3,000.
In a court presided over by Mrs. Abena Oppong Adjin-Doku, the four accused persons variously denied the charges.
Akua who was in court with a lady suspected to be her daughter, appeared unfazed with her usual sarcastic smiles.
Bail Attempts
Vincent Aikins, lawyer for Kayase and Agyemang said there is more to the case than meets the eye and that a critical look at the facts of the prosecution shows that his clients were not part of the crime.
He stated that if anything at all, the two ought to have been charged for conspiracy and not robbery insisting at the right time his clients would prove their innocence to the court.
Vincent, quoting the famous case between Martin Kpebu and the Attorney-General (AG) said there was currently no case which was non-bailable.
The senior lawyer stated that Kayase had been the driver of Akua and that it was unfortunate the case had happened to the accused.
- Y. Felix Ntoso, lawyer for Razak prayed the court to exercise its jurisdiction to grant bail to his client pending the substantive trial.
He argued that the facts of the prosecution did not support the charges especially when it did not tell the specific role Razak played.
The trial judge however refused the grant of bail and remanded the four into police custody until January 23, 2017.
Facts
Prosecuting, C/Supt. Tuaruka said Yusif and Kayase had information that Akua had in her possession $30,000 which she intended to travel with.
He said Kayase then agreed with the rest of the accused persons to rob Akua of that amount adding that Opoku called Akua to meet him in his house at Taifa for some discussion.
The prosecution noted that the complainant went to the house of Opoku together with Yusif and Kayase where Kayase demanded that Akua hand over all her car keys or else she will not travel.
Plot
“Opoku also demanded that, complainant should hand over all her car keys to him before travelling which she declined, and this brought a misunderstanding between them. Yusif, Kayase and Opoku secretly planned to contract some armed robbers to kill the complainant so that they could share the properties of the complainant including the cars and the cash she brought to Oppong’s house.”
C/Supt. Tuaruka said thereafter Yusif and Kayase called Razak on phone to arrange for Joe and Lion to carry out the operation.
The prosecutor said on the said day, Akua together with Yusif and Kayase were on board her vehicle Mitsubishi Pajero with registration GT 6028-16 from Taifa heading towards Kotoka International Airport to catch a flight to the United States of America.
“Akua decided to pass home and on reaching Sowutuom immediately after the Agbeve Herbal Clinic area, Opoku called Kayase on phone and asked where they have reached while Razak, Joe and Lion were waiting to execute their agenda.”
Robbery
The three armed with guns onboard an unregistered motorbike appeared behind the vehicle stressing that “as soon as Kayase spotted the armed men, he reduced the speed showing double hazard trafficator indicating that, the complainant was in the car.”
Kayase parked the car and the armed men attacked the complainant with guns and demanded that she surrenders the afore-mentioned monies and items, dragged her from the vehicle and escaped.
On 31 December, Razak was arrested when he was called by Yusif to come for his share of the booty. When Razak was searched US$4,900 was retrieved from him.
Razak admitted the offence and mentioned Joe and Nuamah as his accomplices. He stated that after the operation, they shared all the monies and threw the bag in a nearby bush at Anyaa.
Razak led the Police to retrieve the bag together with a vehicle with registration GX 2194-14 which he used.
By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson
jeffdegraft44@yahoo.com