An Accra Circuit Court has denied bail to Ahmed Mohammed Lawal, a painter accused of stealing electrical cables worth GH₵1,035,500 from the Bank of Ghana (BoG) building at Ridge in Accra.
Lawal, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of unlawful entry and stealing, had his lawyer, Nii Martey Korley, argue that he was not a flight risk, had a fixed place of residence at Accra Newtown, and was gainfully employed.
He also assured the court that his client had credible sureties and had cooperated with police investigations.
Korley further noted that Lawal had spent over a month in custody and needed bail to prepare for his defense. The prosecution, led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Augustin Kingsley Oppong, did not oppose the bail request but left the decision to the court.
ASP Oppong informed the court that investigations were nearing completion and that the accused had refunded GH₵2,000. However, the stolen cables were yet to be recovered.
Delivering his ruling, relieving judge Isaac Addo rejected the bail application and ordered that Lawal remain in custody.
According to the prosecution, the complainants—Samuel Nii Tettey, a safety officer, and Davidson Mensah Otinkorang, an electrical engineer at the BoG construction site—noticed on February 16, 2025, that someone had broken into the Energy Farm and stolen 1c x 240 and 1c x 300 square copper cables.
CCTV footage allegedly captured Lawal and two accomplices stealing the cables.
The complainants subsequently apprehended him and handed him over to the police. Investigations revealed that the accused and his accomplices had used a scaffold to gain entry into the Energy Farm, cut the copper cables, and sold them at Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
Lawal allegedly received GH₵2,000 as his share but was unable to help police locate his accomplices or the buyer.
The case has been adjourned to April 2, 2025.