Shop assistant jailed nine years for stealing GH¢9,500

Kumasi, Nov. 1, GNA - A 20-year old shop assistant, who stole GH¢9,500.00 from his employer, has been sentenced to nine years imprisonment in hard labour by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) Circuit Court.

Onyeka Okondike, a Nigerian, pleaded guilty to the offence. Police Detective Inspector Martin Assenso told the Court presided over by Mr Justice William Boampong that the complainant, Emenike Ezenwadi, and the convict, are both Nigerians living in Kumasi. Okondike has been assisting Ezenwadi, who owns a shop at the Suame Magazine.

The prosecution said on July 31, this year, the complainant left Ghana to attend to his sick mother back home, leaving the shop in the care of the convict.

He also asked him to collect various sums of money totaling the GH¢9,500 from his customers and to transfer this sum to him in Nigeria.

Police Detective Inspector Assenso said Okondike did as he was told but failed to send the money to the complainant. On his return to the country on August 07, Ezenwadi found out that Okondike had bolted with the money to Cote d'Ivoire.

He therefore made a formal complaint to the police.

The prosecution said about two months on, a son of the complainant, Emmanuel Ezenwadi, reported for work at the shop and to his amazement found Okondike together with another person in the ceiling. He therefore raised an alarm and the convict was arrested, while the other person escaped.

Okondike in his caution statement admitted the offence.