Drama in court over stolen goats

On August 22, 2024, 1:10 AM

There was drama at an Accra Circuit Court when two out of three accused persons admitted stealing goats at Teshie Camp Two area in Accra. 

Emmanuel Agyei, aka Obama, a fisherman and David Agyei, a borehole driller, pleaded guilty to the charges of conspiracy and stealing.

According to the accused persons, it was true that they had been stealing goats and that on August 8, 2024, they stole locally bred goats within the vicinity.

The Police are holding them for allegedly stealing nine foreign goats from Germany valued at $13,500 belonging to one Seidu Yakubu, the complainant in the case.

Emmanuel Agyei told the court that: “The goat I stole doesn’t belong to the complainant. I have not seen the kind of goats the police are talking about. I have shown the complainant and the places where I stole the goats. I don’t know anything about the kind of goats the police are talking about in the pictures taken.”

In the case of David Agyei, he told the court that, “We did not steal from the complainant, the goats we stole were African breed. We are not the group of people who sell to the buyer.”

The court, after listening to the accused persons, convicted them but deferred their sentence to September 2, 2024.

Baba Musah, aka Baba Talatu, a butcher, who pleaded not guilty to the charge of dishonestly receiving, has also been remanded into police custody.

The police said three accomplices, whose names were given as Nat, Aapah, and Boola Gee, were at large.

The prosecution, led by Superintendent of Police Augustine Yirenkyi, said the police were searching for other accomplices on the run.

The prosecution said the complainant, Yakubu Seidu, was a driver and an animal farmer at Teshie Camp 2.

The court heard that on Sunday, August 11, 2024, at about 0400 hours, the complainant woke up and detected the theft of nine of his foreign-breed goats.

On the same day, the prosecution said the Police Intelligence Directorate (PID) received intelligence about a syndicate that snatched victims’ cars and used them to steal goats and hide at Teshie and James Town.

The prosecution said the PID mounted surveillance and arrested Emmanuel Agyei, David Agyei and Baba Musah, but the other accomplices managed to escape.

During interrogation, Emmanuel and David admitted the offence and told the Police that they used to steal and sell.

Emmanuel and David led the Police to Boola Gee’s house at James Town, where four sheep and two goats were found in a blue-black 2002 model Honda CRV with registration number GN 438-14 and a blue-black Nissan Altima with registration number GT3107-18.

Emmanuel and David admitted to the Police that they stole with one Nathaniel and Aapah and sold the livestock to Boola Gee.

The court was told that Baba Musah admitted having bought five goats from Emmanuel, David and Nathaniel at GH₵2,500.

On August 12, 2024, the prosecution said the complainant came to the Directorate and identified two goats as his.