TWO EX-CONVICTS CAUGHT STEALING SHEEP (BACK PAGE)

Picture & Story: Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu, Takoradi

Two ex-convicts who just came out of jail for stealing 200 cattle in the Nzema East District are back in police grip for another stealing offence.
They were arrested in the early hours of yesterday with four stolen sheep in a taxicab en-route to the Esiama market.
The suspects — Francis Kwame, 39, and Kwamena Issa, 24 — told the police that they stole the sheep after their attempt to rob the stores of Adamus Resources, a new mining company in the district, had failed.
They said they were unable to rob the company due to the high security measures in place, so they decided to move to the nearby communities to steal some animals to sell.
They managed to get four sheep and on their way to the Esiama market, the police, acting on a tip-off, intercepted and arrested them.
When contacted, the acting District Police Commander for Axim, DSP Peter Ndekugrie, said the two contacted a taxi driver to help them execute “a moving business” in the early hours of yesterday.
He said the said taxi driver, who happens to be a friend of the police, approached them for advice.
“We then went to plead with the owner of the taxicab to allow his driver to undertake the contract under police protection,” he said.
He said the arrangement went on as scheduled and at about 10 p.m. the police officers in plain clothes followed the taxi to Adamus Resources.
DSP Ndekugrie, who is also the Mobile Force Commander, said after the foiled attempt at Adamus Resources, Issa and Kwame took the taxi driver to Axim, where they got down and returned with four sheep.
He said the police, who were then tracking the taxi, gave them a chase and upon realising danger, Issa and Kwame started throwing the animals out of the moving vehicle.
The unit commander said the police team managed to overtake them and arrested them. He commended the taxi driver and asked others to learn from him.