Agemba, who is also a trader, is accused of failing to deliver on his promises.

In addition to the security service recruitment scam, Agemba is also said to have taken money from two individuals under the pretext of securing them USA and German visas, but again failed to follow through.

Furthermore, Agemba allegedly collected additional money from complainant Patience Solomon to secure her an auctioned car but failed to deliver on that promise as well.

He faces seven counts of defrauding by false pretense. The court did not take his plea, as prosecution led by Chief Jonas Lawer (who was standing in for Assistant Superintendent of Police Richard Amoah) informed the court that more victims were coming forward with complaints.

The prosecution requested that Agemba be remanded into police custody. The court, presided over by Mr. Isaac Addo, agreed, noting the serious nature of the allegations and the need to prevent interference with ongoing investigations. Agemba is set to reappear on December 27, 2024.

According to the prosecution, Patience Solomon, an Immigration officer, was first approached by Agemba in November 2023 after being informed by her husband that Agemba, a senior brother to the accused, was an alleged National Security operative at the Jubilee House and had access to a protocol slot for recruitment into various security agencies.

Agemba confirmed he could assist with securing positions in the Ghana Police Service, Immigration, Prisons, Armed Forces, and the Ghana Revenue Authority, for a fee ranging from GHC7,000 to GHC22,000.

Solomon then convinced other acquaintances to pay for similar enlistments. In total, GHC1,931,000 was collected from 48 individuals for the purported enlistments.

In addition to the recruitment scam, Agemba also took GHC54,000 for the auctioned vehicle deal and GHC87,000 from two individuals for visa processing, which he did not fulfil.

Alarmed by the repeated failures, the complainant reported Agemba to the police, leading to his arrest.

Together with two others Kelvin Prince Boakye has been accused of robbing a gold trading firm, Waahid Gold Company Limited, of five kilogrammes of gold worth GH¢2.7 million in Accra.

When the case was called on Thursday, February 23, the lawyer for Mr Boakye told the court that his client, the first accused was absent because he was in lawful custody at Konongo in the Ashanti Region for galamsey related offence.

Counsel for the second accused, Joy Kwame Genu told the court that he was unwell and had obtained an excuse duty from Ridge Hospital, hence his absence.

The third accused, George Essandoh Akron was, however, present in court and pleaded not guilty to charges of robbery and abetment of crime.

The prosecuting officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Maxwell Oppong, noted that the charge sheet had been amended following the arrest of another accused person allegedly involved in the robbery, Felix Tei who lives at Oyarifa.

The presiding judge of the Accra Circuit court 10, Evelyn Asamoah adjourned the case to March 2 for the accused to reappear in court.

Per the facts of the case, the first accused person, Kelvin Prince Boakye was picked by the Police on November 18, 2022, following an investigation into a gold scam and robbery incident in Accra on November 8, 2022.

Further investigations led to the arrest of accused persons Joy Kwame Genu and George Essandoh Akron on November 29, 2022, and December 2, 2022, respectively.

Items retrieved from the suspects included an unlicensed Bruni pistol with three live 9mm ammunition, two bulletproof vests, one ballistic helmet, two stunt guns and one can of pepper spray.

Background

On Saturday, November 5, 2022, the complainant (name withheld) and others who are witnesses in the case went to buy 5kg of gold from the accomplices of the accused at the cost of GH¢2.7million.

According to the prosecution officer, both parties took the gold to the SSL Refinery at the Kotoka International Airport Terminal 2 for testing, after which its authenticity was verified.

ASP Maxwell Oppong further noted that the accused persons allegedly lured the complainant to escort them to Accra Mall with the said amount of money for payment.

He added that while the complainant was still at the Accra Mall, she called the Managing Director of the company, Mohammed Ko Chan Tha, and Emmanuel Amuzu, one of the workers informing them about the payment.

While the payment was being made the alleged National Security perso, Kelvin Boakye allegedly attacked the refinery with his accomplices.

Kelvin Prince Boakye, Felix Tei and another person currently on the run beat up the director of the company.

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Boakye and his men allegedly robbed Mr Amuzu and the Managing Director of the 5kg of gold.

“After the act, the accused person and his accomplices went into hiding. On November 18, 2022, the accused was arrested from his hideout at Awoshie,” the prosecutor told the court.

The court was informed that a Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) installed in the refinery captured the accused and his other accomplices in the act.

The gun was allegedly concealed in a car during a snap check conducted by the Police on December 25, this year at Osu in Accra.

The accused persons are Dawood Akwasi Agyemang, the National Security Operative and a Chief, Chris Mawunyo Oteiku, a 28-year-old trader, and Joshua Kwame Gbeti, a 27-year-old entrepreneur.

Charged with possessing firearms without lawful authority, the accused persons have pleaded not guilty.

The court presided over by Mrs Evelyn Asamoah has admitted them to bail in the sum of GHC250,000 with three sureties.

The sureties are to be public servants earning not less than GHC3,000 a month. The court further ordered the accused persons to be reporting to the Police every first Wednesday in a month until directed otherwise.

The matter has been adjourned to January 12, 2023.

Earlier, counsels for the accused persons took turns to argue for bail saying they were not flight risk, had fixed places of abode and had people of substance ready to stand as sureties for them.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Maxwell Oppong opposed to the grant of bail saying documents covering the weapon were not genuine and that the weapon had been fired severally.

ASP Oppong told the Court that the Police would like to take fingerprints of the accused persons to ascertain if they marched with what the Police had in their system.

The prosecution further held that there were other weapons that were found in the car of the accused persons.

It said during a search, the police found clubs, nails among others in the car. The prosecution recounted how people had been using flashlights on their vehicles illegally to outwit the Police, adding “it takes experienced police officers to fish such people out.”

Narrating the facts of the case, the prosecution said on December 25, this year, at about 0140 hours, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and some members of the Police Management Board visited the Oxford Street at Osu to interact with the public.

The prosecution said during the interaction, some Police officers spotted the accused Chris Otieku, who was driving a blue-black Toyota Tundra with registration number WY 1088-20, driving with security flashlights.

The prosecution told the court that “this attracted the attention of the officers and the vehicle was quickly intercepted”.

During a search in the car, it said, a pump action gun with serial number PS 33743 was found concealed in the vehicle.

The prosecution said Otieku and Joshua Kwame Gbeti who were in the vehicle were arrested and sent to the Cantonment Police Station.

During investigations, the prosecution said Dawood Akwasi Agyemang, a National Security Operative showed up and produced documents of the pump action gun, but they were detected to be invalid.

The prosecution said Agyemang who also claimed ownership of the gun was arrested.

The Director of Public Affairs-Police Service, Superintendent Alexander Obeng, who disclosed this, said that is the briefing received so far from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).

“The CID will do the profiling of the suspects and at the right time come out with their identities. It’s already been confirmed that one of the arrested is a National Security Operative,” he told Accra-based Starr FM.

The suspect, Joseph Arkoh, was part of a four-member gang who broke into a residence at Ajasco Red Top, Kokrobite, and made away with their personal effects on Thursday, November 18, 2021.

He was, however, arrested with his accomplices; Benjamin Otoo, Tony Mensah Yedu and Bismark Asabree on Saturday, after the Weija Police Command embarked on a special eight-hour covert operation.

Suspect Bismark Asabree later led the Police to arrest the fourth, Nana Yaw Arko, from his hideout at Labadi.

Supt Obeng stated they will ensure the suspects face the law as an enforcement agency.

“You cannot hide behind acrobatics, the law does not exempt anybody from criminal prosecution.  Crime doesn’t pay. If you’re a compatriot, you better deliver a service that the general public approves of rather than being a worker of crime. This is a clear indication to miscreants to refrain from committing crimes. The Police are ready and will not be perturbed.

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“It is important that it is reinforced that it doesn’t matter your profession, the position you occupy now, in the future or in the past. If you don’t comply with the criminal code of Act 29 of 1960 and you commit any crime you will have your day in court,” he cautioned.