By: Emmanuel Amoah
The Adentan Circuit Court has sentenced two individuals to a combined total of 17 years in prison for their roles in the theft of electronic gadgets valued at GH¢298,900 in Okponglo, Accra.
James Ugochukwu Mwobi, a 33-year-old businessman, received a 12-year sentence for charges including unlawful damage, theft, and unlawful entry. His accomplice, 36-year-old Solomon Otis, was sentenced to five years for conspiracy to commit a crime and for receiving stolen property.
Both defendants pleaded guilty to the charges, and their convictions were based on these admissions. Another accomplice, identified as AwuÂdu Mamudu, also known as Focus, remains at large.
During the proceedings, Chief Inspector Maxwell Lanyo, representing the prosecution, explained that the complainant, Frederick Sackey, is a businessman operating a shop that sells laptops, mobile phones, tablets, and related accessories.
On September 26, 2024, Sackey discovered his upstairs storeroom had been burglarized after the thieves cut through the burglar-proof bars on the window. The theft included 91 assorted laptops and 51 tablets, with a total value of GH¢366,200.
The prosecution revealed that on September 29, 2024, one of the stolen tablets, identifiable by serial number GPSZ2024070418582, was found on display at Kwame Nkrumah Interchange. Following this, Stephen Akwaboah, the owner of the showcase where the tablet was found, was arrested, and the tablet was recovered. Akwaboah then identified Charles Chubike Eze, another phone dealer, who was arrested and alleged that Otis had sold him the stolen tablet and other items.
Otis was subsequently apprehended and admitted to purchasing two tablets from an unknown individual. On October 3, 2024, police acted on intelligence regarding two laptops matching the description of the stolen items, leading to the arrest of Chukuemeka Itiri, who disclosed that Mwobi had given him the laptops to sell. This led to Mwobi’s arrest at Plus One Lodge, where police recovered two tablets and a laptop that belonged to the complainant.
The prosecution detailed how Mwobi had broken into Sackey’s storeroom using pliers to damage the metal window bars and gain access. After the theft, he contacted Otis and Mamudu to dispose of the stolen items. On the same day, Otis and Mamudu met with Mwobi at his room, where they took possession of 21 tablets and 22 laptops, with Otis making an initial payment of GH¢1,000.
Mwobi confessed to the crime, while Otis admitted to selling 19 of the tablets to Victoria Osei Praku, a witness, for GH¢250 each, claiming they had been brought in by his brother from Dubai. These tablets were later retrieved.
Mwobi led the police to Sackey’s shop, confirming it as the site of the theft, where 22 tablets and three laptops were recovered. Efforts are ongoing to locate the third accomplice, Mamudu.
