A 64-year-old farmer, Francis Agbenyegah, has been arraigned before the Circuit Court II in Accra, charged with possessing a stolen taxi linked to a brutal robbery and attempted murder. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge of possessing stolen property.
Agbenyegah was first remanded on April 3, 2025, and later appeared in court on April 10, where he was granted bail in the sum of GH¢90,000 with two sureties, one of whom must justify with landed property.
As part of the conditions, the presiding judge, Her Honour Basilia Adjei, also directed the accused to surrender all travel documents and report weekly to the police.
However, Agbenyegah returned to court seeking a variation of the bail terms, citing his inability to meet the initial conditions. The court reviewed the bail, easing the surety requirements but upheld the order for the accused to deposit his passport and continue reporting to police investigators.
The case has been adjourned to May 5, 2025.
Background
The prosecution, led by Inspector Abigail Offeibea, told the court that the case stems from a violent robbery that occurred on March 23, 2025. The complainant, Derrick Osei Boateng, a taxi driver residing in Tema Community 2, was attacked after picking up two male passengers from Community 18 Junction.
The passengers requested to be dropped at Shalom Spot near Lashibi Community 19 Annex. Upon arrival, one pretended to step out to retrieve money, but in a coordinated attack, the other strangled Boateng with a rope. The first suspect returned and stabbed the victim in the shoulder.
Boateng was beaten until he lost consciousness. The attackers then drove to a nearby lagoon in Community 19 and dumped his body in the water, believing he was dead. They fled with his Toyota Vitz taxi (GT 5883-24), GH¢2,000 in cash, a Nokia phone valued at GH¢900, his driver’s license, and Ghana Card.
At around 5:00 a.m., Boateng regained consciousness and, covered in mud and wearing only boxer shorts, made his way to the nearest police station to report the crime.
Investigations led to the recovery of the stolen vehicle, which had a GPS tracker, at Alesikpe, near Sogakope. The car had been tampered with—its number plate, dashboard, and part of the roof were removed.
Police traced the vehicle to Agbenyegah’s compound, where they also discovered an Opel Astra with a duplicate number plate believed to have been used to transport the stolen taxi.
Agbenyegah admitted ownership of the premises but denied involvement in the robbery. He remains the only person charged as the two main suspects are still at large.
