Nigerian student gets 15 years for robbery

A Nigerian student, Ephraim Okoro was on Friday sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court for robbing one Olabunie Oqundele of his mobile phone GH? 2,000.00.

Ephraim who pleaded not guilty to the charge was found guilty by the court presided over by Mr Aboagye Tandor after full trial.

Mr Tandor noted that the assertion by the convict that he did not engage in the act of robbery but only accompanied his accomplice Chineze who is now at large was an afterthought and was to throw dust into the eyes of the court.

He said according to the prosecution witnesses, the convict was the one holding the machete while his accomplice was wearing a max, and stole the items exerting force on the complainant.

He said in sentencing Ephraim, he took into consideration his plea for mercy, the fact that he was a first time offender and that the item was retrieved.

The court ordered that the retrieved items be given to the complainant.

Prosecuting, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Patrick Adzadza told the court that, the complainant is a Nigerian National and a student of Ghana Technology University and resident of Atico, Bubuashie, while Ephraim and his accomplice are all Nigerians and students of Golf City University, Dansoman.

He said somewhere in January, Chineze informed a witness in the case that life is so unbearable for him in Ghana and that he would engage in robbery activities to earn a living.

He said on October 1, the convict armed himself with cutlass and mask, went to the house of the complainant, forced the door opened and attacked him and asked him to surrender his money and mobile phone or he would kill him.

The prosecution said the convict subjected the complainant to severe beating and succeeded in collecting his iphone 5, however the complainant raised the alarm and a witness in the case called Odorkor Police Patrol Team.

He said the team responded swiftly and managed to arrest Ephraim at the scene but Chineze managed to escape. The mobile phone was retrieved by the police.

ASP Adzadza said when the convict was interrogated he admitted the offence and told the police that it was Chineze who called him assist him to attack the complainant.