The convict, Baba Salihu when he was arrested
An 18 year-old unemployed, Baba Salihu, who was recently arrested for stealing cables belonging to the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has been sentenced to a 24-month prison term by the Shama Magistrate Court.
The theft occurred at the Inchaban Treatment Plant of GWCL in the Shama District of the Western Region.
When he was arrested, the convict claimed that he was 17 years and therefore a minor.
However, when he was asked to produce his Ghana card in court to prove his age, it revealed that Baba Salihu was 18 years.
According to the Western and Central Regions Communications Officer of Ghana Water, Nana Yaw Barima Barnie, the convict was arrested at the Inchaban plant on Saturday, September 23, 2023 at about 10:00am.
He revealed that a senior Technical Assistant at the station, Solomon Kumornu, during his usual rounds heard an unusual noise in one of the laboratories.
“So he traced the noise to the ceiling of the laboratory, thinking it was reptiles only to find Salihu lying prostrate on the ceiling to avoid being seen. The convict had already removed all the cables in the walls and was in the process of removing those on the ceiling when the noise caught the attention of Mr. Kuwornu”, Mr. Barnie stated.
He said the convict was arrested, sent to the Inchaban police station the same day and subsequently hauled before the court presided over by Madam Patience Abloh.
“So After the hearing of the case, the court found Baba Salihu guilty and sentenced him to 24 months in prison”, he stated.
Nana Yaw Barnie indicated that his outfit was satisfied with the ruling of the court.
He believed the sentence will serve as a deterrent to others who have been stealing cable from the company, making water distribution a challenge in the region.
“We in Ghana Water Limited are quite satisfied with the swift and successful prosecution of this case as it will send a strong signal to his possible accomplices that GWCL is not a company to be taken for granted,” he indicated.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi