Six persons granted bail for stealing 353 bags of COCOBOD fertilizer

An Accra Circuit Court has granted bail to six persons who allegedly stole 353 bags of fertilizer valued GHS147,333.38 belonging to the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).

Charles Adavlo, Sadick Abubakar, Daniel Asante and Eric Twum are on a GHS40,000.00 bail with two sureties each, to be justified.

Somalia Mustapha and Haruna Ajaililu, on the other hand, were granted a GHS110,604.38 bail with two sureties each, all to be justified.

They have all denied conspiring to steal the items.

The Court presided over by Mrs Ellen Offei Ayeh ordered them to come back to the Court on August 8, 2022.

Prosecuting, Police Inspector Wisdom Alorwu told the Court that the Complainants were Policemen from the Accra Regional Police Headquarters whilst Al Charles Adavlo and Abubakar were drivers, and both resided at Nkawkaw in the Eastern Region.

He said Asante was a Mason and Twum, a dispatch rider and that both lived at Jamasi in the Ashante Region. Prosecution said Mustapha and Ajaililu were also a driver and a driver's mate, respectively and both resided at Techiman in the Bono East.

Inspector Alorwu said on June 30, 2021 the Accra Regional Police Command had information that the accused persons and other accomplices yet to be arrested, had stolen COCOBOD fertilizers meant for cocoa farmers. They culprits were transporting the fertilizers from Accra through Dadeso to Burkina Faso.

The Court heard that a team of Policemen was dispatched to track the suspects and apprehend them.

The team, prosecution said, monitored the accused persons from Accra and arrested Adavlo, Twum, Asante and Abubakar at Jamasi on July 01, 2022 together with a Hyundai Mighty Truck with the registration number GR 521-12 loaded with 88 bags of the fertilizer valued GHS36,729.00.

He said Adavlo led the team to Dadeso where Mustapha and Jalilu were also arrested together with a KIA RHINO Truck, registration number AS 8049-18 loaded with 265 bags of fertilizer valued GHS110,604.375.

The accused persons mentioned the names of other accomplices who are yet to be apprehended, prosecution said, adding that they were escorted to the Accra Region Police Headquarters and the trucks with the 353 bags of the exhibit fertilizer, valued GHS147,333.375 were impounded.

Inspector Alorwu said a man-hunt was arranged for the other accomplices and that the accused persons after investigations were charged with the offences.

GNA