The Tamale Circuit Court, presided over by His Honor Francis Asobayire (ESQ), has convicted and sentenced two individuals, Nyankpani Hadi, 39, and Yussif Abdul Hamid, 18.
Hadi, who is unemployed, received a nine-year sentence with hard labor, while Hamid, a student, was sentenced to four years with hard labor for theft.
The two convicts faced four charges: conspiracy to commit a crime (stealing) in violation of Section 23(1) of the Criminal Offenses Act 1960 (Act 29), stealing contrary to Section 124(1), possession of stolen property contrary to Section 148(1), and having instruments intended or adapted for unlawful entry, as outlined in the police charge sheet.
Appearing without legal representation, the convicts pleaded guilty to all charges and were convicted on their own plea by the court.
His Honor Francis Asobayire, after carefully considering the prosecution’s case, sentenced the first accused, Nyankpani Hadi, to seven years for Count 1, nine years for Count 2, nine years for Count 3, and nine years for Count 4, with all terms running concurrently.
The second accused, Yussif Abdul Hamid, received a sentence of four years with hard labor for all four counts, also to run concurrently.
Both convicts have been detained and transferred to Tamale Central Prison to begin their sentences.
Brief Facts
On January 16, 2024, at around 4:30 PM, some residents of Changli, a suburb of Tamale, alerted the Northern Regional Police Crime Unit about the arrest of two suspected thieves by a group known as the “ALUTA BOYS.”
The residents feared the suspects were about to be lynched in Dagbondabafong, Changli.
Upon receiving the information, a team of police officers was dispatched to the area. The suspects were being held in a container and had been pepper-sprayed to prevent their escape.
The police successfully engaged with the youth and rescued the suspects, identified as Nyankpani Hadi, aged 39, and Yussif Abdul Hamid, an 18-year-old student from Ofuman Senior High School.
The suspects were taken to the Regional Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Tamale, along with an unregistered Haojue Dash 5 motorbike, an ITel smartphone, two motorcycle number plates, and tools including spanners and screwdrivers.
During investigations, searches conducted at the residences of the convicts in Soanayili, a suburb of the Sagnarigu Municipality, uncovered several stolen items. These included six keypad phones, six smartphones (three of which were iPhone XR devices), 215 labeled duplicate keys, two laptops, a military bag, cotton gloves, 20 labeled memory cards, and 20 SIM cards.
Interrogation revealed that the convicts had stolen the phones and other items from victims in Techiman, Tuobodom, Wenchi, Tumu, and Tamale.
Convict Nyankpani Hadi admitted during cross-examination that the 215 duplicate keys found in his possession had been stolen from victims during visits to their homes. He used the keys to return later and steal from them.
The police prosecutors presented all the recovered exhibits as evidence during the hearing. The complainant, whose motorbike was stolen, was able to track it, leading to the convicts’ arrest.
Efforts are ongoing to contact other victims to assist with the investigation.
Source: www.kumasimail.com / Hoenyefia Noah Nash / Tamale
