The Tarkwa Circuit Court has sentenced 11 persons to 252 years imprisonment in hard labour for armed robbery.
The convicts robbed a gold-buying company at Wassa Akropong in the Western Region on October 5, 2018, and were charged with conspiracy and robbery.
They are Emmanuel Tetteh and Samuel Agbadoku, both retired soldiers; Isaac Adjei, a security officer; Frank Afavi, Pascal Korku Atatsitsey, and Dodzi Awali, all fetish priests; and Yaw Adzevi, a kente weaver.
The rest are Anthony Ayivie Kwame Senyo, a driver; Dickson Kumedzro, a farmer; Mohammed Buzu; and Ruben Kportufe, a businessman.
According to the prosecutor, ASP Isaac Babayi, in September 2018, Adjei, a security officer at the gold-buying company, contacted Tetteh and informed him that the company he worked for had a lot of refined gold.
He told Tetteh that he wanted some people to visit and rob them so they would share the booty.
Tetteh also contacted Agbadoku, his close ally during their military service, and they organised men for the robbery.
He also mobilised the rest of the team and moved them from Agbozume to Wassa Akropong and lodged them in a hotel for the robbery.
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On October 5, 2018, they took Senyo’s vehicle with pistols to the place.
ASP Babayi said at about 3:00 pm, Atatsitsey, Kumedzro, Awali, Buzu and Agbadoku, armed with guns and knives, invaded the gold-buying company.
They stole 7.5 kilograms of refined gold valued at GH¢1,543,500, six mobile phones valued at GH¢ 4,800.00, and a cash amount of GH¢250,000.
He said while the robbery was going on, a Closed-Circuit Television Camera (CCTV) installed at the company’s yard captured them, and after the operation, they drove to Kasoa.
They were later arrested and subsequently arraigned.
However, they denied the offence and pleaded with the presiding judge, Mrs Hathia Ama Manu, to temper justice with mercy.
The prosecution asked the court to ignore their pleas and instead impose enhanced punishment to deter the public.
Tetteh, Agbadoku, Adjei, Afavi, Adzevi and Senyo were each handed 17 years.
Meanwhile, Atatsitsey, Awali, Kumedzro and Kportufe were each handed 25 years.
However, Buzu, who is an ex-convict, was jailed for 50 years.