A self-styled businessman has been remanded into prison custody for allegedly robbing several individuals, including former Second Lady, Matilda Yaaba Amissah-Arthur, wife of late Vice President Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur.
The lone robber, Yahuza Osumanu, who has been on the radar of the police for a series of robberies at Tesano, Airport Residential Area, Ridge and Cantonment, all in Accra, was arrested on December 13, 2023, following coordinated police efforts.
Court documents say his modus operandi includes targeting wealthy individuals whose homes he breaks into and robs them at gun point.
The accused, according to court documents, entered the home of the former Second Lady on December 5, 2023, wielding a gun and threatened to kill her if she did not comply with his instructions.
Yahuza Osumanu is accused of assaulting Mrs. Amissah-Arthur by strangling her and hitting her head repeatedly on the ground whiles demanding for more booty, leading her to lose consciousness momentarily.
The accused, according to court documents, succeeded in robbing the helpless woman of her money totaling USD$2,200.00, GH¢3,000.00, and €50.00.
He also made away with a gold watch valued at GH¢20,000.00 and necklaces valued at GH¢5,000.00.
He also stole a safe from the room but could not carry it out of the house as he was spotted by a security guard on his way out, and he abandoned it.
The lone robber has been charged with 22 counts of robbery and four counts of money laundering, and he pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
In all, Yahuza Osumanu is accused of successfully robbing his five victims of jewelries, including Rolex watches, Cartier watches, gold watches, among others, all totaling $236,000.00 and GH¢25,000.00.
He also made away with cash sums totaling GH¢6,500.00, £3,500.00, $2,200.00 and €50.00.
All the robberies, according to court documents, were captured on CCTV camera, and the accused is said to have admitted to being the one in the footage.
He is also said to have taken the police to the various crime scenes where he demonstrated how he got access to the various homes and how he orchestrated the robberies.
Arrest
On December 13, 2023, the police, acting on a search warrant, proceeded to House No. DNC 34, Dome Pillar 2, which was the hideout of the accused, but they met his absence.
They proceeded to Tantra Hill and arrested one John Dela Sarbah, a shopkeeper for the accused person.
He led the police to a two-bedroom apartment where the accused person lived with his family, but the accused had escaped by the time the police got to the house.
The police forced their way into the apartment where they conducted a search and confiscated three power motorbikes, a toy gun, assorted jewelries, some electronic devices, a jack knife, one unregistered Toyota Prado vehicle, one unregistered Lexus vehicle and three other motorbikes.
On December 15, 2023, the police received information that Yahuza Osumanu was hiding at Kasoa, and proceeded there and met him seated in the front passenger seat of a grey Honda CRV vehicle.
The police team stopped the vehicle, arrested him and took him to the CID headquarters to assist in investigation.
Court documents indicate that it was during the interrogations that the accused admitted to robbing the five complainants.
“He told the police that he went on the robbery operations with a toy gun to prevent any resistance from the complainants,” the documents revealed.
The documents added that investigations have revealed that the accused has over the period acquired a number of properties through the unlawful activities of robbery.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak
