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2025.6.12 Wa Court Sentences Teenage Robber to 20 Years’ Hard Labor
A 19-year-old robber has been handed a two-decade prison sentence by the Wa Circuit Court for a violent motorcycle theft earlier this year.
Adams Hamidu, alias “Gyida,” received 20 years imprisonment with hard labor on June 5, 2025, following a successful prosecution by the Upper West Regional Police Command.
The conviction stems from a February 2025 incident where Hamidu and a masked accomplice robbed a victim at gunpoint, making off with a blue Honda motorbike (GH¢20,000), a Tecno smartphone (GH¢1,300), and GH¢10,800 in cash. Police tracked down the teenager through intelligence operations, arresting him on June 1 in Domowa within the Wa West District.
“This conviction demonstrates our unwavering commitment to community protection and law enforcement,” stated the Upper West Regional Police Command in an official release. Authorities reaffirmed their dedication to combating crime and ensuring regional security, urging residents to continue cooperating with law enforcement efforts.
The stiff sentence comes as Ghana’s justice system clamps down on violent robberies, particularly those involving youth offenders. Police forensic teams reportedly used mobile phone tracking and witness testimonies to build their case against Hamidu, whose accomplice remains at large.
The Ghana Police Service has dismantled a kidnapping operation to rescue 25 individuals, including six females from an apartment at Effiakuma in the Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipality of the Western Region.
The raid was initiated after one of the victims reportedly escaped to report the suspected kidnapping syndicate to authorities.
According to 3news.com report on June 2,2025, the raid was conducted on June 1, 2025, after a male victim in his late twenties escaped to seek help from Effiakuma Zongo in Takoradi.
The victim believed to be a national of Côte d’Ivoire, appeared starved and traumatised.
The man, who reportedly spoke only French, struggled to communicate with locals until a young man named Abdul Ganiyu was called to translate his narration.
According to the narration, the escapee and his wife had been lured by what appeared to be a fraudulent recruitment scheme and were held against their will.
The translator, Ganiyu, contacted the Assembly Member of Effiakuma who with the support of local residents organised a rescue team.
Guided by the escapee, the team proceeded to an eight-bedroom apartment near the Takoradi Technical University main campus.
They forcefully broke into the firmly secured doors to find several individuals, numbering about twenty-five, locked inside the facility.
The unfurnished room had just a luggage, talisman, and other voodoo artifacts.
In a disturbing development, neighbours who rushed to the scene said that they had not seen any unusual activity in the apartment prior to the incident.
While the identities of the victims are still being verified, preliminary information suggests they are from neighboring Côte d’Ivoire.
Investigations by police led to the arrest of five suspects, (four men and one woman) who have since been detained for further questioning.
Assembly Member for Effiakuma Zongo, Hamza Mohammed Ameen Adam said that he personally arranged food and basic care for some of the victims due to their distraught condition.
“The situation was quite alarming. Many of them looked traumatised and hadn’t eaten properly in days,” Adam said.
Authorities are yet to identify the owner of the apartment where the victims were being held captives.
The police have however indicated that investigations are ongoing to determine the full scope of the operation and apprehend other accomplices linked to the kidnapping.
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