Airport Thief Remanded

Joseph Omorijesu

A Tamale Circuit Court Presided over by Senyo Amedahe has remanded Joseph Omorijesu, 42, a Nigerian national into prison custody for stealing huge sums of money at the Tamale Airport.

His colleague, Audu Abudu, who was also arrested, was however discharged for want of evidence, as the prosecution indicated that they were unable to establish his culpability in the crime.

According to the facts of the case as presented to the court, travellers on various airlines had, in recent times, been complaining of the mysterious disappearance of the contents of their hand luggage, especially cash.

On the August 22, 2013, one Lt Col Alo Mark and an unnamed defence liaison of the US Embassy in Ghana complained to airport security of some missing dollars in their hand luggage put in the overhead compartment onboard a Starbow flight S9110 from Accra to Tamale.

A day after the complaint, a Portuguese national also complained of a similar incident prompting security officials at Tamale Airport to act swiftly. Information was relayed to representatives of the various airlines to strengthen their security.

It was after these directions one Francis Salomey, a representative of a domestic airline disclosed that two individuals believed to be Nigerians had purchased flight tickets to travel to Accra but where nowhere to be found.

Drivers at the airport taxi rank confirmed to security officials that they saw the two leaving for town after hiring a cab but had not returned.

They however, showed up moments to the departure of the flight they were supposed to board but security details stopped the two and demanded they should be checked thoroughly. Bundles of dollars and local currencies were retrieved from them.

Serial numbers of the dollars given by some of the complainants to the airport security corresponded with the serial numbers of the notes in the possession of Joseph, prompting their immediate arrest.

Police managed to retrieve GH¢11,331,90,700 Naira and $3,046 believed to have been stolen from some travellers either from Accra to Tamale or vice versa.

They were accordingly charged for stealing and arraigned before court but one was remanded into prison custody to reappear on theSeptember 2, 2013, while the other was freed.

Meanwhile, security has been stepped up at the Tamale Airport by officials to guarantee the safety of travellers who may be worried that infiltrators have directed their lenses at air travellers in the region.

Officials would not disclose to DAILY GUIDE measures put in place to avert a similar incident but it is gathered that several mechanisms have been rolled out to clamp down on suspicious characters attempting to play on the intelligence of the security.

 From Stephen Zoure, Tamale