Court remands five over robbery at Wasa Afransie

A Tarkwa Circuit Court on Friday remanded five persons into police custody for alleged robbery.

Yaw Obeng Kwasi, alias Castidy, 27, Daniel Ebo Asare, 22, Yaw Amofa, 42, are illegal miners, while Kwame Alex alias Departure, 25, Barber and Kwame Brewu, 45, a farmer, denied conspiracy to commit robbery, abetment to commit robbery, possession of firearms and ammunition without lawful authority and robbery.

The court presided over by Mr Emmanuel Bart-Plange Brew ordered the accused to re-appear on Wednesday August 12.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Joseph Quainoo, prosecuting, told the court that, Godwin Annor, the complainant and witness Kofi Gyan are forest guards and farmers residing in Wassa Moseaso, while the accused persons are residents at Wassa Abrokyire Krobo both in the Wassa Amenfi East Municipality.

He said on July 3, this year, at about 0900 hours, Annor and Gyan went to Wassa Alavanyo on a Haojin motorbike with registration number M-19-AS-8320 to collect an amount of GH¢3,500.00 from their colleagues.

He said Amofa who was at the spot, witnessed the transaction and quickly informed Brewu via his mobile phone that the complainant and witness had gone for huge sums of money, hence he should mobilized his associates so they could attack and rob them.

Prosecution said Brewu and his elder brother Tieku who is now at large went to inform Obeng, Asare and Alex to rob the two and bring the booty for them to share, the idea to which they agreed.

He said Teiku gave a locally manufactured pistol to Obeng and Asare picked him on a Apsonic motorbike with registration number M-20-AS-541 and laid ambush between Wassa Jukwa and Wassa Afransie communities to execute their plan.

According to DSP Quainoo, Alex was monitoring Annor and Gyan closely and was briefing his accomplices on phone to be on the alert.

He said when the complainant and Gyan got to a section of the road near Wassa Afransie, Obeng and Asare armed with locally manufactured pistols ordered them to surrender the money and snatched it from Annor after which they bolted into a nearby bush.

He said after succeeding in robbing the complainant they shared the booty with Alex, leaving Brewu and Amofa who were the masterminds.

DSP Quainoo said the complainant lodged a formal report to the police and on July 8 at about 12:00 am, the Wassa Akropong police apprehended the accused persons from their hideout at Wassa Abrokyire Krobo.

He said a foreign pistol with ammunition was found in Obeng’s room ,while two single barrel short guns and nine live BB cartridges were also retrieved from Brewu’s room, both claimed ownership but failed to produce documents covering them.

He said eleven live BB cartridges were also recovered in Tieku’s room and the motorbike which was used in the robbery by Obeng and Asare was seen on their veranda has been impounded at the police station.