An affluent lifestyle intertwined with opulence and grandeur was unveiled amid a high-profile robbery incident involving former Second Lady Matilda Amissah-Arthur.
The lavish life of the ex-Second Lady was brought to light as an Accra High Court remanded a self-styled businessman Osumanu Yahuza for the violent assault and robbery of Matilda Amissah-Arthur at her Tesano residence in Accra.
While the robbery was going on, her police guard appeared to be snoring as he couldn’t notice the entry of the lone armed robber into the house.
As the case unraveled in court, shocking details emerged regarding the extravagant possessions targeted by the accused in a series of high-end burglaries.
The prosecution disclosed that Osumanu Yahuza, facing 26 counts of robbery and money laundering, not only targeted the former Second Lady but also stole items belonging to renowned architect David Adjaye and others.
During the court proceedings on Tuesday, April 17, Osumanu Yahuza pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The prosecution painted a grim picture of the violent robbery, revealing that the accused demanded money and valuables from Mrs. Amissah-Arthur, resulting in the loss of significant cash and valuables, including a gold watch valued at GHC20,000 and necklaces valued at GHC5,000.
Furthermore, Osumanu Yahuza allegedly escalated the assault by physically harming the former Second Lady, leaving her momentarily unconscious as he rummaged through her possessions. The brazen robbery involved the theft of a substantial amount of valuables and a calculated attempt at intimidation as Yahuza sought to enrich himself at the expense of his victims’ luxury and comfort.
Justice Lydia Osei Marfo’s decision to remand the accused person into prison custody underscored the severity of the crimes committed and the importance of ensuring accountability for such heinous acts. The subsequent adjournment of the case to May 2, 2024, reflects the complex nature of the investigation and legal proceedings surrounding the case.
The unfolding saga sheds light on the hidden risks associated with flaunting extravagant possessions and living a high-profile lifestyle, underscoring the vulnerability of individuals to targeted crimes driven by greed and audacity.
The revelations of the case serve as a stark reminder of the potential consequences tied to embracing ostentatious living in a society marred by criminal elements seeking to exploit such displays of wealth.
As the legal battle unfolds and the full extent of the accusations against Osumanu Yahuza comes to light, the case involving the former Second Lady unveils a narrative of excess, loss, and the stark reality of vulnerability amidst luxury.
Read the full facts of the case as presented by prosecution below:
Augustine Kwesi Okere is a businessman residing at Kacela Courts Apartments at Airport Residential Area, Accra.
Complainants Daniel Kwame Osafo and Tracy Osei-Hyeaman are husband and wife residing at Zollink Apartments in Cantonments, Accra, Complainant Matilda Yaaba Amissah-Arthur was the wife of the late Vice President of the Republic of Ghana residing at Tesano, Accra and complainant, Margaret Alice Shaw is a 76-year-old woman residing at Alexander Nest, Ridge, Accra.
The accused person Yahuza Osumanu is a self-acclaimed businessman residing at Pokuase-ACP.
Between the second quarter of the year, 2023 and December 2023, the Police CID received several complaints of residential robberies perpetuated by a single armed man around Airport, Cantonments, Tesano and Ridge.
On the 17th of September, 2023, complainant, Augustine Okere reported to the Airport Police that at about 2:30am that morning, his residence at Kaecla Court Apartments, Airport Residential Area was robbed. On receipt of the complaint, a team of police personnel from the Airport Police Division was dispatched to the crime scene.
The complainant told the police that the accused person, entered his room, pointed a pistol at him and demanded money and other valuables. He was robbed of two (2) Rolex wrist watches valued at $38,000.00 USD and $23,000.00 USD and cash in the sum of GHC2,000.00 and £3,500.00.
On the 19th of September, 2023, the owner of the Kaecla Courts Apartments Dr. Abu Sakara Foster furnished the police with a pen drive which contained a CCTV footage of the accused person.
On the 4th of December, 2023, the police received a distress call from the complainants Daniel Kwame Osafo and Tracy Osei-Hyeaman to the effect that they had been robbed.
On receipt of the complaint, a team of police personnel was dispatched to the crime scene but on their arrival, the accused person had fled. They told the police that the accused person pointed a pistol at them whiles demanding money and other valuables and succeeded in robbing them of a Cartier wrist watch valued at Nine Thousand United States Dollars ($9,000.00USD), an iPhone Pro Max valued at One Thousand United States Dollars ($1,000.00USD), a Cartier black pen valued at Five Hundred United States Dollars ($500.00USD) and a gold chain valued at Five Thousand United States Dollars, ($5,000.00USD) all belonging to Daniel Kwame Osafo.
The accused person also made away with jewelries valued at Fifty Thousand United States Dollars ($50,000.00USD) and a Cartier wristwatch valued at Ten Thousand United States Dollars ($10,000.00USD) belonging to Tracy Osei-Hyeaman.
The CCTV footages at the premises were obtained and reviewed. On 5th of December 2023 at about 4:00am the Tesano Police Division received information to the effect that the complainant Madam Matilda Yaaba Amissah-Arthur had been robbed.
On receipt of the complaint, a team of police personnel was dispatched to the crime scene but on their arrival, the accused person had fled.
The complainant told the police that the accused person was wielding a gun and he threatened to kill her if she did not comply with his instructions.
She placed a call to the police guard on duty at her residence and asked him to look out for the accused.
The guard spotted the accused person in the compound while he was trying to escape with the safe.
He gave the accused a chase but the accused abandoned the safe and managed to escape.
On the 8th of December 2023, the police obtained CCTV footages from the crime scene and reviewed same.
The accused person was identified in the CCTV footage as Yahuza Osumanu, who had been on the police radar for his involvement in series of residential robberies at Cantonments, Airport Residential Area, Ridge and Tesano.
On the 11th of December, 2023, the Papa 51 police patrol team received information about a robbery incident at Ridge. On receipt of the information, the patrol team proceeded to the crime scene. When they arrived at the scene, they met the complainant Margaret Alice Shaw who informed them that she was lying on her bed when the accused person entered her room, pointed a gun at her and instructed her to hand over all her money and valuables to him.
She told the police that the accused person ransacked her room and made away with a Rolex watch valued at Seventy Thousand United States Dollars ($70,000.00USD), a Panerai watch valued at Fifteen Thousand United States Dollars ($15,000.00USD) belonging to her son-in- law, David Adjaye, jewelleries valued at Fifteen Thousand United States Dollars ($15,000.00USD) belonging to her daughter Asheley Shaw Scott and cash in the sum of One Thousand Five Hundred Ghana Cedis (GHC1,500.00).
An initial assessment by the police revealed that the accused person gained ingress into the house through the victim’s window in the kitchen which was not properly locked. The police took photographs of the crime scene. That same day, the police returned to the crime scene with Crime Scene Management Experts. They processed the scene, reviewed the Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) at the premises and obtained copies of the CCTV footage.
On the 12th of December 2023, the police gathered information that the accused person Yahuza Osuman was the one robbing inhabitants of Accra and that he was at Dome Pillar 2.
On the 13th of December 2023, the police acting on a search warrant proceeded to House No. DNC 34, Dome Pillar 2, which was the hideout of the accused, but they met his absence.
They proceeded to Tantra Hill and arrested one John Dela Sarbah, the shop keeper of the accused person.
He led the police to a two-bedroom apartment where the accused person lives with his family but when they arrived there the accused person had escaped.
The police opened the apartment forcefully and a search conducted revealed three power motorbikes, toy-gun, assorted jewelleries, some electronic devices, a jack knife, one unregistered Toyota Prado vehicle, one unregistered Lexus vehicle and three other motorbikes which were retrieved from the house.
On the 15th of December 2023 the police received information that the accused person was hiding at Kasoa.
The police proceeded to Kasoa and met the accused person seated in the front passenger seat of a grey Honda CRV vehicle.
The police team stopped the vehicle, arrested him and took him to the CID headquarters to assist in investigation.
During interrogation, the accused person admitted robbing the complainants. He told the police that he went on the robbery operations with a toy gun to prevent any resistance from the complainants.
He identified himself in all the CCTV footages from the various scenes. He also led the police to the various crime scenes and demonstrated to the police how he gained ingress into the various houses to rob the complainants.
Investigations have revealed that the accused has over the period acquired a number of properties through the unlawful activities of robbery.
By Vincent Kubi