The High Court Criminal Division 5, has remanded a self-acclaimed businessman Yahuza Osumanu into prison custody after he pleaded not guilty to all 26 charges of robbery and money laundering.
The trial judge, Justice Lydia Osei Marfo directed that; a formal bail application filed on behalf of the accused by his lawyers led by Paul Asibi Abariga, be served on the Prosecution ahead of time.
The prosecution team told the court, Yahuza Osumanu succeeded in allegedly robbing the former Second Lady, Matilda Amissah-Arthur of various currencies including GH¢3,000, USDS2,200, and Fifty Euros as well as a gold watch and necklace valued at GHc20,000 and GH¢5000, respectively.
Apart from the former Second Lady, renowned businessman, David Adjaye and three others have all been allegedly robbed by the accused at gunpoint of valuables at gunpoint.
The Court has also directed the Prosecution to file the compliment of their disclosures while the case was adjourned to May 2, 2024.
Facts
The brief facts of the case stated that, the complainants are Augustine Kwesi Okere, a businessman, Daniel Kwame Osafo and Tracy Osei-Hyeaman are husband and wife while Mrs Matilda Yaaba Amissah-Arthur was the wife of the late Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur the former Vice President of Ghana and Margaret Alice Shaw, a 76-year-old woman residing at Alexander Nest, Ridge, Accra.
The Prosecution stated that, the accused, Yahuza Osumanu, is a self-acclaimed businessman who resides at Pokuase-ACP.
According to the Prosecution, between the second quarter of the year, 2023 and December 2023, the Police CID received several complaints of residential robberies perpetuated by a single armed man around Airport, Cantonments, Tesano and Ridge.
September robbery
It said, on September 7, 2023, complainant, Augustine Okere reported to the Airport Police that at about 2:30am that his residence at Kaeela Court Apartments, Airport Residential Area was robbed.
It stated that, on receipt of the complaint, a team of police personnel from the Airport Police Division was dispatched to the crime scene. Prosecution added that, the complainant told the police that, the accused entered his room, pointed a pistol at him and demanded for money and other valuables.
According to the Prosecution, Mr Okyere said he was robbed of two Rolex wrist watches valued at $38,000 and $23,000 and cash the sum of GHc2,000 and €3,500 The Prosecution stated that, on September 19, 2023, the owner of the Kaeela Courts Apartments, Dr. Abu Sakara Foster, furnished the police with a pen-drive which contained a CCTV footage of the accused person.
December robbery
It is also the case of the Prosecution that, on December 4, 2023, the police received a distress call from the complainants Daniel Kwame Osafo and Tracy Osei-Hyeaman to the effect that they had been robbed.
According to the Prosecution, on receipt of the complaint, a team of police personnel was dispatched to the crime scene but on their arrival, the accused had fled. It said, they told the police that the accused pointed a pistol at them while demanding for money and other valuables and succeeded in robbing them of a Cartier wrist watch valued at $9,000, an iPhone Pro-Max valued $1,000, a Cartier black pen valued at $500 and $5,000 all belonging to Daniel Kwame Osafo.
“The accused person also made away with jewelries valued at $50,000USD and a Cartier wristwatch valued at $10,000USD belonging to Tracy Osei-Hyeaman. The CCTV footages at the premises were obtained and reviewed.
Robbery attack on former Second Lady
It is also the case of the Prosecution that, on December 5, 2023 at about 4:00am, the Tesano Police Division received information to the effect that the complainant, Matilda Yaaba Amissah Arthur had been robbed.
The brief facts stated that, on receipt of the complaint, a team of police personnel was dispatched to the crime scene but on their arrival, the accused person had fled.
“The complainant told the police that the accused person was wielding a gun and he threatened to kill her if she did not comply with his instructions. She stated that the accused person demanded for money and valuables and he succeeded in robbing her of money in the sum of GH¢3,000, USDS2,200 and EUR 50.00.
“The accused person also made away with a gold watch valued at GH¢20,000 and necklaces valued ta GH¢5000.
The Court was told that the accused person also assaulted the complainant by strangling her and hitting her head repeatedly on the ground while demanding for more booty. The complainant lost consciousness momentarily and when she regained consciousness the accused person had left with her safe and the booty.
Mrs Amissah-Arthur then placed a call to the police guard on duty at her residence and asked him to look out for the accused. The guard spotted the accused person in the compound while he was trying to escape with the safe, the Prosecution stated.
“He gave the accused a chase but the accused abandoned the safe and managed to escape.”
On December 8, 2023, the police obtained CCTV footages from the crime scene and reviewed same. The accused person was identified in the CCTV footage as Yahuza Osumanu, who had been on the police radar for his involvement in series of residential robberies at Cantonments, Airport Residential Area, Ridge and Tesano.
Ridge robbery
On December 11, 2023, the Papa 15 police patrol team received information about a robbery incident at Ridge,” and “on receipt of the information, the patrol team proceeded to the crime scene.”
The Prosecution said, when they arrived at the scene, they met the complainant Margaret Alice Shaw who informed them that she was lying on her bed when the, accused person entered her room, pointed a gun at her and instructed her to hand over all her money and valuables to him.
“She told the police that the accused person ransacked her room and made away with a Rolex watch valued at $70,000USD, a Panerai watch valued at $15,000USD belonging to her son-in-law, David Adjaye, jewelleries valued at $15,000USD belonging to her daughter Ashley Shaw Scott and cash in the sum of GH¢1,500,” the Prosecution stated.
It stated that: “an initial assessment by the police revealed that the accused person gained ingress into the house through the victim’s window in the kitchen which was not properly locked. The police took photographs of the crime scene.
“That same day, the police returned to the crime scene with Crime Scene Management Experts. They processed the scene, reviewed the CCTV at the premises and obtained copies of the CCTV footage.”
“On the 12 of December 2023, the police gathered information that the accused person Yahuza Osmanu was the one robbing inhabitants of Accra and that he was at Dome Pillar.
“On the 13 of December 2023, the police acting on a search warrant proceeded to House No. DNC 34, Dome Pillar 2, which was the hideout of the accused but they met his absence,” it stated.
They proceeded to Tantra Hill and arrested one John Dela Sarah, the shop keeper of the accused person. He led the police to a two-bedroom apartment where the accused person lived with his family but when they arrived there the accused person had escaped.
“The police opened the apartment forcefully and a search conducted revealed three power motorbikes, toy-gun, assorted jewelries, some electronic devices, a jack knife, one unregistered Toyota Prado vehicle, one unregistered Lexus vehicle and three other motorbikes which were retrieved from the house,” it added.
Arrest
The brief facts stated that, on December 15, 2023 the police received information that the accused person was hiding at Kasoa.
“The police proceeded to Kasoa and met the accused person seated in the front passenger seat of a grey Honda CRV vehicle. The police team stopped the vehicle, arrested him and took him to the CID headquarters to assist in investigation.
“During interrogation, the accused person admitted robbing the complainants. He told the police that he went on the robbery operations with a toy gun to prevent any resistance from the complainants,” the Prosecution stated.
“He identified himself in al the CCTV footages from the various scenes. He also led the police to the various crime scenes and demonstrated to the police how he gained ingress into the various houses to rob the complainants.
Investigations have revealed that the accused has over the period acquired a number of properties through the unlawful activities of robbery. It is based on these facts that the accused has been arraigned before the court.
