Tigo TV icon arrested for robbery

Shaka Zulu's group. From Left, Emmanuel Mensah, Richard Tetteh, Richard Cobbina (Shaka Zulu, Richard Abass and Wise Grey

RICHARD COBBINA, alias Shaka Zulu, 31, a famous face on television commercials for the mobile telecommunication network, Tigo, has been apprehended with others suspected to be armed robbers by the Accra Regional Police Command.

Briefing newsmen yesterday, the Greater Accra Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Rose Bio Atinga, said Shaka Zulu and his accomplices, Abass Baba Richard, Paul Owusu and one Gladstone (at large), attacked and robbed a Nigerian businessman resident along the Spintex road, of huge sums of money, as well as five computer laptops on June 23, last year.

However, Owusu, who is currently in police custody, was arrested with the help of his neighbours, while Wise Grey, another gang member, led the police to arrest Abass Baba Richard.

DCOP Atinga noted that all the suspects admitted and confessed to engaging in robberies in the Accra metropolis.

The gang was also accused of trailing travelers at the Kotoka International Airport and terrorising residents of Sakumono, Madina, Haatso and East Legon.

Other members of the gang – Richard Tetteh, Wise Grey Wisdom alias Biggy, the ring leader, Emmanuel Mensah Nkansah alias Captain, chief driver of the group, and Francis Addo, also known as Nigga – were all arrested at different locations such as the Accra Railway station, and Nungua in Accra.

On March 30, last year, the group robbed a pregnant woman of her Nissan Pathfinder at East Legon, and also traced two Ghanaians from the airport to their residence at Sukula, and deprived their victims of everything they possessed.

According to the Commander, a team of police officers was dispatched on July 11, this year, to the Accra Railway station, where suspect Tetteh was picked up.

A school bag in his possession, the police said, contained an Acer laptop, two locally manufactured pistols and four live cartridges.

Upon interrogation, she indicated, 'This notorious armed robber admitted to being a member of a gang which robbed some people at Dansoman the previous night, and that laptop was his share of the booty.'

DCOP Atinga continued that on April 17, at about 12:15 p.m., Biggy, whose name has been mentioned above, and his accomplices, robbed one Vincent Kwame Osei Appiah, an Electrical Engineer, of his Toyota Corolla with registration number GE 1040 10.

She said they later changed the number to GE 8793 09, and used it to trail two British nationals who came into the country to launch a non-governmental organisation (NGO).

'These gangsters trailed their victims from the KIA to Mahogany Hotel, Cantonments, and robbed them of everything in their possession,' she added. In their attempt to flee from the scene, their vehicle veered off the road onto the pavement. As a result, two tyres of the vehicle got burst.

They then abandoned it, and went ahead to grab another Nissan saloon car with registration number GE 1914, which belonged to Fiona Laryea, a staff of the Access Bank at gunpoint.

DCOP Atinga explained that suspect Biggy and his accomplices attacked one Anthony Pappoe, and dispossessed him of his unlicensed black Chevrolet saloon car on June 4, this year, at about 2:15 a.m. She said the police managed to retrieve the said vehicle from Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

In related robbery cases between February and July this year, DCOP Atinga said a similar gang of robbers, who terrorised residents of East Legon, Madina, Mempeasem, Otana, Adjiringanor, Batsonaa and Spintex road, had also been arrested. She indicated that they robbed their victims of their laptop computers, money, mobile phones and wrist watches.

The Regional Police Command, according to her, conducted intelligence-led swoops, and rounded up a number of suspects at their hideouts at Nungua, upon a tip-off it had on August 15, this year. The alleged criminals include Eric Yaw Ahenkora a.k.a Paa Dogo, Isaac Obeng Owusu, a.k.a Burger, Paul Bortey alias Children, Frank Agorku a.k.a Frank Nero, Roland Hayford alias Paa Kweku Medor, and Stephen Numekpe, also called Volta King.

The Commander mentioned that a search conducted in a bag, which belonged to suspect Frank Agorku, revealed three locally manufactured pistols with six rounds of ammunition of BB cartridges, a dell laptop computer, four wrist watches, and two mobile phones.

When interrogated, Agorku admitted the guns were supplied by their ringleader, Paa Dogo. However, Paa Dogo told the police he got the guns from one Ottoo, also known as Killer, who is currently on the police wanted list.

Investigations into their operations further disclosed that they attacked their victims with sharp cutlasses in the above mentioned areas.

Subsequently, they stole nine laptop computers valued at GH¢12,000, 13 mobile phones, four watches worth GH¢120, and an unspecified amount of money.

Earlier, Burger, Ayaa, Aklika, Scarrow, and Ottoo were reported to have raided a three-storey building at Tema Community 18, and when busted, Burger was identified by the victims at an identification parade.

DCOP Atinga said in their caution statements, the suspects confessed to the series of robberies they had engaged in.