As Ghana looks for innovative ways to deal with her many
problems, some traders at Odo Rice, near the Kwame Nkrumah Circle have also
found a more productive way to deal with common thieves in the area.
What pertained in the past, by way of punishment to suspected
thieves when they are unlucky to be apprehended was to either lynch them or
doll out a few slaps to their faces.
Those forms of punishments, as effective as they may be, are
unproductive hence the decision by the residents to innovate.
The first suspected thieve to benefit from this innovation
was a young man who only gave his name as Kofi Yesu also known as Guy Guy.
Yesu allegedly entered a shop near the Odo Rice area while
the shop’s owner was outside taking part in a regular cleaning exercise that is
organized on the day set aside for such purposes – Sanitation Day.
Kofi Yesu succeeded in carrying a bag containing GHS 700.00
and an Iphone X cell phone, hid it beneat his dress as he lurked in wait for an
opportunity to bolt.
Luck, however, run out for Kofi Yesu when the shop owner
suspected his movement and confronted him.
To show that he was indeed a ‘guy’, Kofi Yesu spoke Hausa
with a stern face that was expected to scare the shop owner.
As fate will have it, the shop owner who also speaks fluent
Hausa, replied Kofi Yesu with equal sternness amidst further questions.
It was based on the questions that the traders who had now
gathered around Kofi found out that all the Hausa he could speak were his first
few words to the shop owner.
As questions flew in from all angles, Kofi Yesu confessed to
stealing the bag, which he brought out from under his shirt.
According to an eyewitness who spoke exclusively to adomonline.com
in a telephone interview, Kwame Destiny, at this point, the crowd called for
his release so they could give him some beating but wise counsel prevailed as
they agreed on a more productive punishment.
The residents agreed that as the day was earmarked for sanitation,
Kofi Yesu is made to desilt the drains, a punishment he gladly accepted and
undertook with his bare hands albeit diligently.
According to Destiny, the suspect told traders that he
resided at Konkomba Market in Accra; therefore, when he was done with his
punishment, the traders got him a motorbike with GHC 10.00 and bode him
farewell with the advice that he sins no more.
