News
Found at last …Man 63 jailed for bread tricycle theft
What started as a simple act of assistance on a roadside turned into an elaborate theft that has hunted a Kumasi bread baker for months and ultimately land a 63-year-old man behind bars.
Oduro Zakaria, bread baker, never imagined that accepting help from a stranger would cost him his livelihood. On that February morning in 2024, the hardworking baker had loaded his tricycle with 114 freshly baked loaves worth Gh₵1, 680, ready for his usual delivery to customers at the Adehyeman lorry station.
As Zakaria navigated the busy Kumasi streets, his unregistered tricycle worth GH¢35,000, suddenly broke down. In that moment of vulnerability, what seemed like divine intervention appeared in the form of Adamu Alhassan.
“I’m a station master,” the 63-year-old trader assured the stranded baker. “Let me help you.”
Together, the two men pushed the heavy tricycle loaded with bread to the Kejetia MTN roundabout. Zakaria, grateful for the assistance, felt comfortable leaving his precious cargo in the care of his newfound helper while he searched for a mechanic.
“I thought I had met an angel,” Zakaria told friends. An hour later, when he returned with a mechanic, both his ‘angel’ and his entire livelihood had vanished into the bustling crowds of Kumasi.
The crushing realisation hit Zakaria like a thunderbolt. His helper was neither a station master nor even a worker at the station. He had been expertly conned by a man who preyed on his moment of need.
For months, Zakaria searched the streets of Kumasi, hoping against hope to spot either his tricycle or the man that stole his bread and tricycle.
On August 28, 2025, one and half years afterwards, fortune smiled on the baker. A witness spotted Alhassan at the very station where he had posed as an employee, and quickly alerted Zakaria.
Alhassan was arrested and handed over to the Ashanti Regional Anti-Armed Robbery Unit with his caution statement taken.
He confessed to selling Zakaria’s GH¢35,000 tricycle to a scrap dealer in Bremang for a measly GH¢700 – less than 2 per cent of its actual value.
The 114 loaves of bread? He had distributed them to random passers-by, perhaps in a twisted attempt to play the generous benefactor with stolen goods.
On September 12, the Kwadaso Circuit Court, presided over by Mr Jephthah Appau, sentenced Alhassan to five years imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to theft.
Police Chief Inspector David Opoku Kwabi, presenting the facts, painted a picture of calculated deception that exploited human kindness and trust.
For Zakaria, the sentence brings some closure, but it cannot restore the months of hardship he endured or the innocence lost in trusting a stranger’s offer of help.
Alhassan’s five-year sentence reflects not just the monetary value of what he stole, but the breach of trust that makes communities question the safety of helping strangers – or accepting help from them, an opinion leader indicated.
He added: “Sometimes, the most devastating crimes are not committed with weapons or violence, but with a smile and an offer to help.”
From Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) says it has successfully conducted constituency executive elections in 245 out of its 276 constituencies across the country.
The party’s General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, said the exercise recorded an 88.7 per cent success rate and was conducted peacefully in the constituencies where voting took place.
In an update posted on his Facebook page, he said elections in 23 constituencies were put on hold because of various disputes.
He added that four constituencies Ningo Prampram, Atwima Mponua, Obuasi West and Trobu could not hold their elections due to last minute challenges.
According to him, the party’s National Steering Committee will also review election activities in Afigya Sekyere East, Adansi Asokwa, Bantama and Asante Akyem Central.
Mr Frimpong said the National Secretariat is committed to resolving all outstanding issues to ensure the successful completion of the constituency executive elections.
He expressed appreciation to members of the party for their support and discipline throughout the exercise.
“We extend our sincere appreciation to all Patriots for their commitment, discipline, and support, which contributed to the successful conduct of these elections,” he stated.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Northern Regional Police Command has arrested two Nigerian nationals in connection with the murder of a 36-year-old Nigerian man at Sanzirigu in Tamale.
The suspects, identified as Daniel Victor Eze and David Oko Ewa, were arrested on Saturday, July 11, shortly after the body of Nkemujika Uzorchuku Eze was found in his bedroom.
According to the Police, preliminary investigations showed that the deceased lived in a three-bedroom apartment with his wife, Peace Uzorchuku, the two suspects and another Nigerian national, Godwin Nwafor.
The Police said officers began investigations after receiving a report that the deceased had been found lying in a pool of blood in his room.
A team that visited the scene found that he had suffered a deep cut to the forehead and had a towel stuffed into his mouth. The room had also been ransacked.
The Police said a wooden pestle believed to have been used in the attack, together with other items, was recovered from the scene for forensic examination.
The body was taken to the Tamale Teaching Hospital, where a medical officer confirmed him dead before it was deposited at the hospital mortuary for preservation and an autopsy.
According to the Police, intelligence-led operations led to the arrest of the two suspects at Tatale on the same day while they were allegedly attempting to escape into the Republic of Togo.
They were later handed over to the Tamale District Criminal Investigations Department to assist with investigations.
The Police said the suspects allegedly admitted during interrogation that they had conspired to kill the deceased because he had been withholding money they claimed was obtained through internet fraud.
A search conducted after their arrest led to the recovery of several items suspected to have been stolen from the deceased’s room, including mobile phones, laptop computers, a tablet, jewellery, clothing, wristwatches, personal documents and other valuables. The Police said the items have been kept as exhibits to support the investigations.
The suspects remain in Police custody and are expected to appear before court on Monday, July 13, to facilitate the ongoing investigations.
The Northern Regional Police Command said it remains committed to bringing everyone involved in the crime to justice and urged the public to provide credible information to help fight crime.
By: Jacob Aggrey
