Three charged with conspiracy to kill Koala official

The Accra Circuit Court yesterday remanded three persons for their alleged involvement in the foiled robbery attack on the Marketing Administrator of the Cantonments branch of the Koala Shopping Centre in Accra.

The accused persons are the supervisor of the supermarket, Gilbert Osabutey; Michael Edor Ahiataku and Frederick Sedro Kwame, both security guards of the Acasia Building Company.

Charge

The trio were charged with conspiracy, but they denied the charges when they made their first appearance in court since their arrest on January 9, 2016.

They appeared in court without any legal representation, but when the court, presided over by Mr Aboagye Tandoh, enquired if they had counsel, they responded in the affirmative.

They are accused of conniving with Stanley Obaliko, a Nigerian, and Okoe Quarcoe, who shot and robbed the victim of her money and mobile phone in broad daylight on January 9, 2016.

Obaliko and Quarcoe, who are receiving treatment from injuries they sustained after being crushed on a motorbike by a taxi driver, did not show up in court.

They are presently at the Police Hospital where they are receiving treatment.

The court adjourned the trial to January 27, 2016.

Background
Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Duuti Tuareka told the court that the complainant, Lydia Horsu, is the Marketing Administrator of the Koala Shopping Centre who went round daily to collect the supermarket’s previous day’s sales and sent them to the head office at Airport in Accra.

He said on January 6, 2016, Ahiataku, Sedro and Osabutey hatched a plan to rob the Koala Supermarket and the trio further sought the assistance of two accomplices, who currently are at large.

He said the two accomplices recruited Obaliko and Quarcoe to carry out their plot.

About 8 p.m. on January 8, 2016, all the accused persons met at the Koala Supermarket at Cantonments, where Osabutey briefed them on the movements of the complainant and they agreed to rob her the following day.

He said about 8 a.m. on January 9, 2016, the complainant went to the Koala Centre, Cantonments, but had a change of mind and decided to pick only the company’s invoice and voucher to audit them at the head office at Airport.

Complainant shot twice
Chief Inspector Tuareka said Osabutey, on seeing her, alerted Ahiataku and Sedro via mobile phone and the two, in turn, called Obaliko and Quarcoe, who were then aboard a blue motorbike closer to the shop.

“Obaliko and Quarcoe trailed the complainant to a section of the road near the American Embassy at Cantonments, where Obaliko alighted and pointed a pistol at her and ordered her to surrender her handbag.

“The complainant initially refused to comply and raised an alarm and that infuriated Obaliko, who pushed her to the ground and forcibly snatched the handbag from her,” the prosecutor said.
Obaliko, he said, shot her twice in the left thigh and the calf and the two sped off.

“Fortunately, a taxi driver who witnessed the incident chased them with his vehicle and knocked them off their motorbike,” he added.