Chief Imam Rejects Robbers

Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu

Information reaching DAILY GUIDE indicates that the National Chief Imam, Sheik Nuhu Shaributu, on Tuesday rejected a request by the family and friends of Taufic, a dare-devil armed robber who was killed at Taifa in Accra, to say the last prayers for his remains before his burial.

Taufic aka 16, and his accomplice had gone on a robbery spree in the Taifa community and allegedly slashed a lady's hand for her handbag. They were chased to Taifa Junction last Saturday, where they were brutally killed in a mob attack.

An eyewitness told DAILY GUIDE that both Taufic and his accomplice, whose name remains unknown, died in the gory mob attack, stressing that the indignant response of the mob stemmed from the fact that the two, in their burning desire to rob a lady of her hand bag, allegedly used a machete to severe her hand and bolted with the bag which he claimed contained thousands of cash.

The source said the two had, in a robbery spree, robbed about five persons and were bolting with their booty when luck eluded them, resulting in their untimely death.

A Benz Sprinter bus gave the two deceased robbers a hot chase and crashed them at Taifa Junction.

The occupant of the said vehicle got off the bus and raised the alarm, drawing other residents to the scene who began beating the two.

The machete, which was used in chopping off their victim's hand, was also used in inflicting severe wounds on them, resulting in the instant death of Taufic's accomplice while he (Taufic) laid in excruciating agony.

Photos of the incident showed scattered brain marrows of the armed robber, who had then been bagged by a team of crime scene management operatives from the CID Headquarters.

The source further narrated that a huge concrete block was used to smash the head of Taufic's friend.

Taufic reportedly died while being conveyed to the hospital.

Three mobile phones and a wrapper of wee were found when the two suspects were searched.

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Friends of Taufic and Razak, the 2 armed robbers who were killed at the weekend, carrying a body through the streets of Nima yesterday

Nima sources said it was the remains of the two which were buried last Tuesday by their friends at Nima and not that of Razak's, another dead robber, as earlier reported.

Razak and an accomplice, also armed robbers, were gunned down over the weekend by the police.

A search at the Accra Regional Police Command showed that the remains of Razak and his colleague were still at the Police Hospital's morgue awaiting autopsy.

When the remains of the two were released for burial, Taufic's accomplice's father reportedly rejected his son's corpse but irate youth of the area took to the streets to pay their last respect to the robbers.

They sought to honour the two robbers by requesting that the National Chief Imam offered the last Muslim prayers for them.

However, Sheik Shaributu blatantly rejected their request, knowing the two have been terrors in their communities.

It would be recalled that in the afternoon of Tuesday, the sprawling Nima community witnessed an influx of youth who held a wild procession through the community to pay their last respect to one of their own, Taufic, before his remains were laid to rest, alongside his accomplice's.

Many people who witnessed the procession had initially thought the community might have lost a high-profile person but later discovered that the mammoth crowd were the sympathizers and friends of armed robbers.

Sources say Taufic was a well known rogue who had gained notoriety in armed robbery.

He led a gang in several robberies and usually met his group in Nima, where they planned their operations.

His mother has been accused of over pampering him and often attacking his critics.

His father is said to be domiciled in Belgium for the past 20 years but frequents the country.

Taufic's reckless behaviour is a known secret and therefore most residents in Nima say they were not surprised about his unfortunate end.

This brings to four the number of armed robbers who were killed over the week-end.

While Abu and Razak were gunned down by the police, Taufic and his friend were lynched by an angry mob.

Meanwhile, a number of people in the Nima community have expressed disgust at the public show some youth put up during the funeral and burial of the two robbers.

They condemned the act and disassociated themselves from it, saying it was very unpleasant to persons who might have lost relatives or valuables through the activities of the two.

By Rocklyn Antonio