Cabbie goes blind after robbery attack

Kumasi, Sept 15, GNA - A middle-aged taxi driver has lost his sight following a robbery attack on him.

Abdul Wahid Aminu Yussif, whose face got disfigured from the cutlass wounds inflicted by his assailants, underwent a corrective surgery to restore his sight and face at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) but could not regain his sight and is now being assisted by his relatives in his movements.

He was led by a guide to the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) Circuit Court on Monday to listen to proceedings of the case in which one of his assailants, Nasiru Mohammed, 19 is still facing trial. Three of his attackers; Baba Suleman, alias Baba Alhaji, an Electrician, Awal Mohammed, Alias "Parazon", a key cutter and Mustapha Issah, alias Sumaila, an auto-mechanic, have already been convicted by the same court, which slapped a-40-year jail term each in hard labour. They pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Police Chief Inspector Isaac Mensah Appenteng told the Court presided over by Mr Adjei Frimpong that, the complainant, Yussif, was driving his taxi on January 23, this year, at about 01:00 hours and on reaching Amakom in Kumasi, he parked the car to take passengers. The Prosecutor said suddenly, the convicts and the accused, together with four others now at large, armed with pistols and cutlasses attacked him.

He said the victim managed to run away, leaving the taxi cab behind, but they gave him a hot chase amidst warning shots, scaring away a witness, who had wanted to go to his aid.

When they caught up with him they inflicted several cutlass wounds on his face and also robbed him of his mobile phone and a cash of GH¢100 leaving him to his fate, when they realized he was unconscious.

The witness in the case, after the incident, rushed Yussif to KATH, where he regained consciousness and gave the phone numbers of his brothers to the witness to contact them. The complainant then made a report to the police and during their investigations, Baba was arrested on May 26, 2009. 15 Sept. 09