The convicts
THREE MEN who took part in an early morning robbery at Nyinahin in the Atwima Mponua District of the Ashanti Region last month, have received jail terms totaling 90 years.
Dramani Seidu, 24; Richard Banyiwa, 25 and Joseph Gyimah aka Agyaku, 21, were convicted on their own plea to 12 counts of robbery.
Each was sentenced to 30 years in prison with hard labour by a Kumasi circuit court, presided over by Lydia Osei Marfo.
Passing the sentence, the judge said criminals were becoming emboldened and undeterred as a result of lenient sentences imposed by the courts these days, and therefore, indicated that she was determined to make hers deterring enough.
The prosecutor, Inspector Eric Asare, informed the court that the convicts were arrested on January 18, 2018 at Appiakrom by officers from the Nyinahin District Police Command.
They had, on January 15, 2018, attacked a Sprinter Benz bus registered WR 844 X, that was carrying passengers, with two single-barrel guns on the Afepaye-Nyinahin trunk road after laying ambush at the Asanayo forest.
Inspector Asare disclosed that the gangsters opened fire to immobilize the bus before attacking the passengers and robbing them of unspecified amount of money and over 20 pieces of assorted mobile phones.
He said luck, however, eluded them when police had information of their whereabouts and arrested them at Appiakrom, a village near Nyinahin in the district.
“A search conducted in their room revealed the two single-barrel guns, two BB cartridges, one AAA cartridge, 20 assorted phones, 7 wrappers of dry leaves suspected to be Indian hemp, GH?1,350, one lighter, sachets of Tramadol capsules and torchlight,” he added.
The prosecutor stated that the convicts admitted the crime in their caution statements, and after investigation had been completed, they were charged and arraigned before court.
From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi