Three former convicts, Ernest Saakwa (35), Emmanuel Amoaning (33), and Yaw Oboom (32), have each received a six-month hard labor sentence from the Agona Nsaba Magistrate’s Court for stealing cassava valued at GHC1,800.00 from farmer Emmanuel Fenyn in Agona Nyakrom.
The court ordered that the sentences for charges of conspiracy to commit a crime and stealing would run concurrently.
This is not the trio’s first encounter with the law, as they previously served a three-month jail term for stealing plantains, as pronounced by the same court.
We're now on WhatsApp. Click here to join.
During the proceedings, Detective Chief Inspector Aglagoh Lawson, acting as the prosecutor, presented the case before Magistrate Victor Kusi. Lawson reported that the complainant, who owned a cassava farm in Apumuso near Nyakrom, reported the theft on November 5, 2023.
On that Sunday, the convicts unlawfully harvested cassava worth GHC1,800.00 from the complainant’s farm. A vigilant witness promptly informed the farmer, who, upon arrival, discovered the culprits had vanished.
Subsequent investigations and arrests revealed that the trio had admitted to uprooting the cassava and selling it for the aforementioned amount to an unidentified individual in Agona Swedru.
Following an investigation, they were arraigned, leading to their conviction and sentencing. The ex-convicts’ sentencing has sparked mixed reactions on social media, with some describing it as harsh, arguing that the convicts might simply be hungry.
Others contend that they appear to be notorious thieves based on their track record.
