A self-acclaimed businessman, Yahuza Osumanu, has been slapped with fresh charges by the state for allegedly attacking and robbing former Second Lady Mrs. Matilda Yaaba Amissah-Arthur and four others.
This follows the accused’s previous plea of not guilty to 26 counts, which included 20 counts of robbery and six counts of money laundering. However, after further investigation, the State filed an amended charge sheet, reducing the counts from 26 to 24. The new charge sheet comprises 20 counts of robbery and four counts of dishonestly receiving stolen vehicles.
Mrs. Amissah-Arthur is the wife of the late Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, who served as Vice President of Ghana from 2012 to 2016. During the alleged robbery, Osumanu is said to have stolen various currencies from her, including GH¢3,000, US$2,200, and fifty euros, as well as a gold watch and necklace valued at GH¢20,000 and GH¢5,000, respectively.
He has since been remanded into prison custody by the Court, presided over by Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, as of Wednesday, October 23, when his plea was taken on the counts of dishonestly receiving stolen property.
Apart from the former Second Lady, Osumanu is accused of robbing Augustine Kwesi Okere, a businessman; Daniel Kwame Osafo and Tracy Osei-Hyeaman, a married couple; and Margaret Alice Shaw, a 76-year-old woman residing at Alexander Nest, Ridge. The case has been adjourned to November 13, 2024.
Brief Facts
The brief facts of the case state that there are five complainants involved:
Augustine Kwesi Okere – A businessman residing at Kaeela Courts Apartments in the Airport Residential Area.
Daniel Kwame Osafo and Tracy Osei-Hyeaman – A married couple residing at Zollink Apartments in Cantonments.
Matilda Yaaba Amissah-Arthur – Wife of the late Vice President, residing at Tesano.
Margaret Alice Shaw – A 76-year-old woman residing at Alexander Nest, Ridge.
The accused, Yahuza Osumanu, is a self-acclaimed businessman residing at Pokuase-ACP. The prosecution stated that between the second quarter of 2023 and December 2023, the Police CID received several complaints of residential robberies committed by a single armed man in the areas of Airport, Cantonments, Tesano, and Ridge.
On September 17, 2023, complainant Augustine Okere reported to the Airport Police that at about 2:30 a.m., his residence at Kaeela Court Apartments was robbed. The complainant stated that the accused entered his room, pointed a pistol at him, and demanded money and valuables. He was reportedly robbed of two Rolex wristwatches valued at $38,000 and $23,000, along with cash totaling GH¢2,000 and £3,500.
Distress Call
On September 19, 2023, the owner of Kaeela Courts Apartments, Dr. Abu Sakara Foster, provided the police with a pen drive containing CCTV footage of the accused. On December 4, 2023, the police received a distress call from complainants Daniel Kwame Osafo and Tracy Osei-Hyeaman, reporting that they had been robbed.
The police dispatched a team to the crime scene, but the accused had already fled. The couple reported that he pointed a pistol at them while demanding money and valuables, successfully robbing them of a Cartier wristwatch valued at $9,000, an iPhone Pro Max valued at $1,000, a Cartier black pen valued at $500, and a gold chain worth $5,000, along with jewelry valued at $50,000 and a Cartier wristwatch valued at $10,000 belonging to Tracy Osei-Hyeaman.
Search Warrant
On December 12, 2023, the police received information indicating that Osumanu was the suspect responsible for the robberies and that he was hiding at Dome Pillar 2. On December 13, police, acting on a search warrant, went to his hideout but found him absent. They arrested one John Dela Sarbah, the accused’s shopkeeper, who led them to an apartment where Osumanu lived with his family, but he had escaped.
A search revealed three power motorbikes, a toy gun, assorted jewelry, electronic devices, a jackknife, an unregistered Toyota Prado, an unregistered Lexus, and three other motorbikes.
On December 15, 2023, police received information that Osumanu was hiding in Kasoa. They arrested him in a grey Honda CRV vehicle and took him to the CID headquarters for questioning. During interrogation, he reportedly admitted to robbing the complainants, stating that he used a toy gun to prevent resistance and identified himself in all the CCTV footage from the various crime scenes. He also demonstrated to police how he gained entry into the various homes to commit the robberies.
Stolen Items
The prosecution indicated that investigations revealed Osumanu had acquired numerous properties through his unlawful activities. Four vehicles retrieved from his possession were identified as stolen: a Land Cruiser Prado, a Lexus RX, and two motorcycles.
Based on these facts, the accused has been arraigned before the court.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM
