Emmanuel Waki, a 21-year-old Okada Rider, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to robbing a bystander of his cellphone in front of the Police CID Headquarters.
The incident is claimed to have been witnessed by the Inspector General of Police and his bodyguards, who were returning from routine observational duties on December 19, last year.
Emmanuel Waki, popularly known as Pocket, was given a vigourous chase, which resulted in the arrest of Salifu Alhaji, another Okada rider, who subsequently led the police to arrest Waki in Old Fadama.
Waki pleaded guilty simpliciter (without explanation) before the Circuit Court on December 23 and was convicted on his own plea while his sentence was deferred.
On Wednesday, January 4, the court presided over by His Honour Mr. Samuel Bright Acquah stated that robbery is punishable by up to life in prison under Section 296.
The defendant, who pled guilty to two counts of conspiracy and robbery, was sentenced to ten years in prison for conspiracy and fifteen years in prison for robbery. According to the court, the sentence should run concurrently, which means he would serve the maximum of 15 years.
The first accused, Salifu Alhaji, 24, popularly known as Okada Rider, rejected the accusation of conspiracy and was remanded in custody.
The Prosecutor’s Address
The Prosecutor, Inspector Isaac Babayi, told the court before sentencing that the second accused pleaded guilty simpliciter after the allegations and the ramifications of his plea were conveyed to him.
He stated that the convict’s plea was voluntary and that the court must consider the “intrusive gravity” of the offence – robbery and conspiracy – while sentencing him.
He stated that the robbery is a first-degree felony charge, as are the circumstances surrounding the incident.
According to police statistics, robbery is on the rise, and the premeditation and aggressive way in which the crime was perpetrated demanded a severe sentence.
Inspector Babayi stated that the crime on the innocent bystander occurred in front of the CID Headquarters, and the accused, knowing this, threw caution to the wind and seized the poor bystander’s mobile phone.
He asked the court to impose a term that would dissuade others with similar intentions from committing such acts.
Mitigation
While pleading mitigation, defence counsel Gregory Kwadwo Asiedu stated that his client is a first-time offender and that a shorter sentence would be in the best interests of justice.
Brief information
Inspector Babayi told the court that on Monday, December 19, last year, at about 20:10 hours, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and his bodyguards were returning from routine observational duties when they noticed a motorbike rider riding interchange on the main road in front of the Police CID Headquarters.
According to the Prosecutor, the rider abruptly switched from the authorised lane he was intended to use to the other lane facing incoming traffic.
He told the court that when the suspicious rider arrived at the pedestrian walkway opposite the CID Headquarters, he robbed the cellular phones of a pedestrian who was waiting for a vehicle and sped away.
According to the Prosecutor, the victim attempted to pursue the motorcyclist but failed to catch up with him. The IGP’s bodyguards, who watched the act from a distance, promptly pursued the motorbike and apprehended the first culprit, Salifu Alhaji, within minutes.
He stated that the first accused, who was riding an Apsonic motorcycle in red with the registration number M-20-GR6987 and whose personality resembled that of the offender, committed the crime and was given over for enquiry.
He stated that during the enquiry, the first accused denied the crime but mentioned the second accused as the one who robbed the phone since he noticed him on his motorbike travelling towards the theft scene on a similar motorbike to his.
Confession
According to the prosecutor, on December 20, 2022, the first accused brought police to the residence of the second accused in Old Fadama and pointed him out, resulting in his arrest for investigation.
During the investigation, the second accused claimed that he was the one who robbed the pedestrian on the pavement of his cell phone at 20:10 hours on December 19, 2022.
He admitted to selling the phone to one Mohammad for GHc300.00, and they were arrested while the investigation continued to apprehend others involved in the crime.
