Three thieves bag 17 years for cable theft

Justice Francis Obiri, presiding, handed Kofi Donkor seven years whilst Sumaila Abdulai and Rahman Yussif got five years each.

The cables, which were valued at GH¢15,500, affected 448 Vodafone customers.

Prosecuting Chief Inspector Michael Jubiok from the Greater Accra Regional Police Command told the court on Saturday that at 0300 hours on March 9, 2012, two security guards manning a restaurant at East Legon spotted Kofi Donkor and an accomplice cutting the cables in a chamber belonging to Vodafone Ghana.

He said Donkor was apprehended but his accomplice escaped.

Sumaila Abdulai and Rahman Yussif on the other hand were spotted by a passer-by cutting Vodafone cables at Kisseiman, West Legon at about 0200 hours on June 19, 2013.

The passer-by then raised the alarm and together with some residents in the area the suspects were detained until police personnel from Achimota arrived at the scene.

A statement from Vodafone Ghana on the arrest said, earlier in the month three other persons were sentenced to a total of nineteen years for a similar offence.

Vodafone said about 25 per cent of all its fixed broadband faults were due to cable cuts and that in 2012, the company spent GH¢5.00 million to replace stolen cables.

Source: GNA