Emmanuel Waki, aka Pocket, who robbed a pedestrian’s mobile phone near the Ghana Police Service Headquarters, has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court.
Waki committed the act when the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare and his bodyguards, and the Police Management Team had returned from observational team duties on Monday, December 19, 2022, and were entering the Police headquarters.
The bodyguards of the IGP picked up Salifu Alhaji, an accomplice, who was also at the scene, and he led the Police to arrest Waki at his residence at Fadama in Accra.
Waki, a 21-year-old Okada rider, pleaded guilty to the charges of conspiracy to commit a crime and robbery.
The Court, presided over by Mr Samuel Bright Acquah, sentenced Waki to 10 years imprisonment on the charge of conspiracy and 15 years imprisonment on the charge of robbery.
The sentences are to run concurrently.
The 24-year-old alleged accomplice, Salifu Alhaji, aka Malika, also an Okada rider, however, denied any wrongdoing.
The court has remanded Alhaji into Police custody to reappear on January 17.
The prosecution, led by Inspector Isaac Babayi, opposed the grant of bail for Alhaji.
The prosecution narrated that on Monday December 19, 2022, at about 2010 hours, the IGP and his bodyguards returned from their routine observational duties.
While standing in front of the Police headquarters, team spotted a motorbike rider riding in a suspicious manner from the Ghana Fire Service headquarters direction heading towards the Arko Adjei Interchange.
The prosecution told the Court that the rider suddenly diverted from the approved lane he was supposed to use to the opposite lane facing oncoming traffic.
