Three Jailed Up to 22 Years for Robbery at Adansi Akwaaku
Bekwai Circuit Court sentences three men to 20 and 22 years’ imprisonment for robbing a gold buyer of cash, gold and valuables near New Edubiase.
- Three men have been jailed for their roles in a robbery at Adansi Akwaaku.
- The convicts were sentenced to between 20 and 22 years with hard labour.
- Police recovered cash, an iPhone and other items, but the stolen gold remains missing.
The Bekwai Circuit Court in the Ashanti Region has sentenced three men to prison terms ranging from 20 to 22 years with hard labour for their involvement in a robbery at Adansi Akwaaku, near New Edubiase.
The convicts are Eric Afful, alias Nana Yeboah, 21, a commercial motor rider; Abdul Ganiu, 24, also a commercial motor rider; and David Mensah, alias Rasta, 26, an unemployed person.
The court, presided over by His Honour Isaac Appiatu on September 8, 2026, sentenced Afful to 20 years’ imprisonment on Count Two, abetment of robbery, while discharging him on Count One, conspiracy.
Ganiu and Mensah were each sentenced to 15 years for conspiracy to commit robbery and 22 years for robbery. The sentences are to run concurrently.
How the Robbery Happened
According to the prosecution, led by G/L/Cpl. Peter Oduro, the complainant, Derrick Arthur, is a gold buyer based at Adansi Nkrankese, while Afful was his friend and commercial motor rider.
On September 3, 2026, at about 6:10 p.m., Afful met Ganiu and Mensah at Mensah’s residence at Kojo Mankrong. He reportedly told them that he owed a person named Ben GH¢2,000 and needed the money to retrieve his seized motorbike.
Afful then proposed that they rob Arthur, whom he regularly transported while the complainant conducted his gold business. Ganiu and Mensah agreed to the plan.
At about 8:00 p.m., Arthur called Afful to pick him up from Nkrankese to Ataase Nkwanta for a MoMo transaction. Afful allegedly informed his accomplices, transported them to a cocoa farm along the Akwaaku road and hid them there.
He later picked up Arthur and, while transporting him, deliberately slowed down and diverted onto the road leading to the hideout.
At the cocoa farm, Ganiu allegedly attacked Arthur with a cassava stick and forcibly took his backpack. The bag contained a digital mining scale valued at GH¢1,500, melting gas worth GH¢800, two pounds of gold valued at GH¢22,000 and GH¢10,000 in cash.
When Arthur attempted to pursue Ganiu, Mensah allegedly pulled a cutlass on him and took his iPhone 12 mini, valued at GH¢2,500.
The two men reportedly took the stolen items to Mensah’s residence, where they spent the night. Arthur subsequently reported the incident at the police barrier at Kojo Mankrong.
Arrests and Recovery
On September 4, Afful reportedly visited Mensah’s residence, where the three men shared GH¢6,000 from the stolen cash.
Police later arrested Mensah at Apagya. During interrogation, he confessed and led officers to Afful, who was arrested at Obonsu, and Ganiu, who was arrested at Asonkore.
A search led to the recovery of GH¢2,000 from Afful, GH¢2,000 from Ganiu, and the stolen iPhone 12 mini and GH¢2,705 from Mensah.
The complainant’s backpack was also recovered from the cocoa farm. However, the two pounds of gold valued at GH¢22,000 remained missing.
