Two soldiers jailed 10 years each for robbery and kidnapping

The Asante Bekwai Circuit Court has sentenced two soldiers to ten years imprisonment each in hard labour for kidnapping and robbing a small-scale miner of GHC96,500.00.

Air-force Lance Corporal (LAC) Alfred Mensah, 33, and LAC Matthew Amoako, 28, both denied conspiring to rob and kidnap Mr. Andrews Asante.

They were then taken through a full trial and found culpable.

Meanwhile, three of their accomplices: only named as Frimpong and Francis, both soldiers, as well as one Francis Acheampong, 41, driver, are at large.

Detective Chief Inspector Eric Twum, narrating told the Court presided over by Mr Isaac Appeatu that Mr Asante, the complainant, was a smallscale miner resident at Ametubuom, a suburb of Asiwa, whilst Mensah and Amoako are Air Force officers based in Accra and Tamale, respectively, but both were on a course in Accra.

He said Acheampong, the driver, worked with a car rental company in Accra, whereas Frimpong and Francis, also military personnel based in Kumasi, were at large.

The prosecution said Acheampong, after meeting the soldiers on November 25, 2023, and knowing they were going on a robbery expedition, led them to the secretary of his company.

He told him that Mensah, Amoako, and Frimpong were going to effect an arrest at Konongo, thus renting a Mitsubishi Pajaro with registration number GS 3236-17 which Acheampong was assigned to drive.

Detective Chief Inspector Twum said they set off from Accra at about 1400 hours, and on reaching Konongo, they picked up Francis, adding that they were in military uniform.

Frimpong, the Court heard, who claimed to be a native of Asiwa, led them to Ametubuom, a community near Asiwa, to the complainant’s residence at about 0130 hours, where they shouted his name, banged his gate, and asked him to come out.

For fear of his life, he refused to come out until the gang attacked his friend, Kwabena, whom his wife called to come to their rescue.

The convicts, police said, turned their anger on the complainant when he finally came out and pushed him back into his room, where they subjected him to beatings and demanded GHC400,000.00 before they would release him.

He said the complainant did not have the amount but, for fear of his life and family, borrowed GHC10,000.00 from his mother-in-law, who lived in the same house, and he surrendered the same to them.

Police said not satisfied, the gang continued beating the complainant as they demanded more money, but he pleaded with the mother-in-law to add more, if she had, where she obliged and brought out an additional GHC20,000.00 wrapped in a black polythene bag and handed same to the robbers.

The prosecution said Amoako pushed back the mother-in-law into her room when the gang realised that she had more money in the room, where they ransacked the room and retrieved GHC40,000.00 and later went to the complainant’s room, ransacked the place also, and took GHC15,000.00.

They again seized GHC7,000.00 from Kwabena as well as the ignition key to the motorcycle he came with, preventing him from chasing them, the Court heard.

Still not satisfied with all the money they stole, they forcibly pushed the complainant into their vehicle and held him at ransom.
Detective Chief Inspector Twum said as the complainant was in their vehicle, Mensah searched him and removed GHC4,500.00 from his pocket, stating that in total, they had a booty of GHC96,500.00. Police had wind of the incident and signalled them to stop, but they ignored and sped off.

He said the police shot at the vehicle, but that did not stop them until they got to a broken bridge at the Anwiam. The vehicle could not cross the broken bridge, so they abandoned it and continued on foot into a forest still, holding the complainant hostage, he said.

The prosecution said some members of nearby communities also got wind of the incident and went searching for them, saying the gang were in the bush with their victim and booty; they were also trying to find their way out.

At about 0430 hours, Mensah and Amoako appeared at Anumso Town, looking for a get-away vehicle, but were arrested by the town folks and later handed over to the police.

Frimpong and Francis waited for Mensah and Amoako, and when they did not return, they abandoned the complainant and walked through the forest.

The prosecution said the two were later arrested, and they admitted the offences and mentioned their accomplices.

Mensah told the police that their booty was taken by the town folks, who arrested them.

Later, one body armour, the complainant’s walking aid, and Kwabena’s motorbike ignition key were retrieved from their hideout in the forest.