Two get twenty years for abetment

An Accra Circuit Court yesterday sentenced two young persons to a total of 20 years’ imprisonment for abetment.

They are Hamza Salou, an errand boy and Mohammed Salou, labour.

The two are said to have on May 17 last year at Adabraka in Accra abetted one Shaibu Ibrahim, who has been convicted and another Kwesi, aka Gman Latif, currently at large, to rob the complainant, Allahadu Abdul Kadri of cash of about GH¢390,000.

Although the duo at the initial stages of the trial denied the charges, the judge Aboagye Tandoh, after full trial, found them guilty and convicted them accordingly.

In sentencing the two, the court stated that investigations revealed that the two had more than 264 call exchanges with the gang that robbed the Forex Bureau owner of $100,000 (GH¢390,000).

Mr. Tandoh opined that there is no doubt that the two convicts assisted the gang in robbing the Forex Bureau owner and accordingly sentenced them to serve as deferent to others.

Prosecuting, C/Supt. Tuaruka said the complainant, who is the owner of a Forex Bureau at Rawlings Park in Accra, had a called from a customer who needed $100,000 to transact business which he quickly mobilized and directed the customer to come to First Atlantic Bank, Liberia Road Branch for it.

The police officer stated that the complainant delegated one Kadri to go to the bank since there was heavy vehicular traffic, adding that while the transaction was ongoing, the accused persons were monitoring.

C/Supt. Tuaruka said as a result, they gave information to Shaibu and Kwesi, who went to the area of the bank to lay ambush.

The prosecution said Kadir, after exchange with the customer at the bank, left the banking hall with the Cedi equivalent of money in a bag and boarded a motorbike as the pillion rider.

He was attacked by the accused persons who were wielding pistols.

Luck however eluded them when a police officer shot one of them in the stomach while the others managed to escape.