Two Nigerians jailed 30 years for robbery

Mr Aboagye Tandoh, a Circuit Court judge, on Monday  lamented over the use of Okada (motor) in the Accra metropolis, noting that the Okada business if not checked may breed negative effects in the society.
According to the Judge, the Police who were to check these motor riders rather patronize the business.

He noted that some patrons of the Okada encourage the riders to skip red lights and whiles other use same to rob and escape.
 
He expressed the sentiments when he sentenced two Nigerians to 15 years each for snatching GHC3,244.00 from a Tiler at Haatso, Accra.

The court found the two guilty on the charges of conspiracy to rob and robbery at the end of the trial.

Ikenna Amadi Darlington, a motor rider and Uchenna Uwachukwu aka Yeye, a trader, were said to have used a motor bike to cross the complainant, Mr Bright Mensah and snatched the money he was carrying  with the intention to bolt. 

 In asking for mitigation of sentence, Uchenna told the court that he has a wife and eight children. 
 
That his parents were dead and that if convicted his family would run into difficulties.
 
According to him he came from Nigeria to purchase goods at a shop at Madina, which he failed to name before the court.  

He pleaded with the court to therefore deal with him leniently.

Ikenna said he was married with three kids  and that he was in the Okada business and was asked by Uchenna to pick him up at a hotel in Haatso.
 
Although he admitted being at the crime scene, he could not tell the court how they were involved in the act.

Prosecuting Chief Superintendent Duuti Tuaruka told the court that the complainant, Mr Mensah lived at Adenta, while the two convicts lived at Accra New-Town.

According to the prosecutor, the complainant and some labourers were working on a building project belonging to one Norbert Erzua Nyenzah, based in the United Kingdom.

Chief Superintendent Tuaruka said on April 1, last year, the owner of the project sent cash in the sum of GH¢3,244.00 cedis to the complainant through Haatso Ecobank to pay his workers.

The Prosecutor said complainant after withdrawing the money at the Bank, went to the Haatso Lorry station to pay for 20 bags of cement and transport same to the project site.

According to the Prosecutor suddenly, the two convicts on board a motor bike with registration number M-16-GR 1388 attacked the complainant and snatched the polythene bag containing the money from him.
The complainant however mastered courage and held Uchenna who was then sitting at the back of the motor and he raised an alarm.

Sympathizers at the scene rushed and assisted the complainant and the convicts were arrested and handed over to the Police.

Prosecution said the convicts in the respective caution statement admitted the offences.

Source: GNA