Court jails ‘okadaman’ 8 yrs for robbery

The Amasaman Circuit Court has sentenced a 23-year-old commercial motorbike rider, popularly known as ‘okadaman,’ to eight years imprisonment with hard labour for robbery.

Issah Sadat admitted conspiring with two others; Koboah Nkotein, now deceased, and one Kojo, who is at large, to rob another person of a cellular phone.

Before sentencing, the court, presided over by Ms Susanna Nyakotey, asked Sadat about his educational background. He said he was a school dropout.

When asked whether he had learnt any trade and how he survived, Sadat replied that he worked as an auto mechanic and a commercial motorbike rider.

At that point, the prosecution informed the court that Sadat owned a motorbike, which had been impounded by the police.

In delivering judgment, the court considered the convict’s age and the fact that he had not wasted the Court’s time.

Sadat was also asked whether he had any family member available to receive the seized motorbike. He answered in the negative, prompting the court to order that the motorbike be released to any family member who later showed up.

Presenting the facts, the prosecution said the complainant, Mr Samuel Arhinful Addo, was a carpenter residing at Oduman near Amasaman, while the robbery victim, Burhanudeen Suleiman, was his neighbour and also an ‘okada’ rider.

The court heard that on April 19, 2026, at about 3:40pm, Suleiman and a witness, Saddick Hamidu, were returning home from a construction site when they reached the Oduman M/A School area. 

Sadat and his two accomplices, riding a black Royal motorbike with registration number M-23-GR 531, attacked and robbed Suleiman of his G-mobile phone.

According to the prosecution, the victim raised an alarm and, with the assistance of community members, Sadat and Nkotein were arrested at the scene while the third suspect escaped.

Mr Addo subsequently alerted the Amasaman Patrol Team, which proceeded to the scene and rescued the suspects from an angry mob.

A search conducted at the scene led to the retrieval of a long knife hanging around the engine of Sadat’s motorbike and the victim’s G-mobile phone. 

The items, together with the motorbike, were retained by police as exhibits.

Kojo, the other alleged accomplice, also remains at large.

Sadat was subsequently charged and put before the Court, while police continue efforts to apprehend the remaining suspect. –GNA