By Biodun Busari

A High Court in Accra, Ghana’s capital has sentenced a Nigerian and two Ghanaians to 25 years in prison each for robbing and raping some British nationals who were embarking on a charitable trip to the West African country.

The three gang members identified as Daniel Akpan, Ishmael Akyene and Asouo Mbuotiden Edem raped six victims inside their hostel in Kokrobite.

Justice Mary Maame Ekue Yanzah sentenced them after they pleaded guilty to 32 counts of conspiracy to rob, robbery, rape and being in possession of firearms unlawfully, according to BBC Pidgin.

The court added that their jail term would be served with hard labour.

The victims, after the incident, reported to the police and consequently visited a hospital where a swab was used to take DNA samples for analysis. The results of the DNA matched the suspects.

CCTV footage also showed one of the robbers using an ATM card of their victim to withdraw money. The CCTV helped the security agents to nab the suspect and his two accomplices.

One of the suspects jetted out of Ghana to Nigeria, but Nigerian authorities collaborated with Ghana police to extradite him for prosecution.

The incident happened on December 8, 2018, when a group of 12 volunteers from the United Kingdom arrived in Ghana to lodge at a guest house in Oshiyie, near Kokrobite around 1:00 am.

They were attacked by the three Africans after settling down in their rooms. The robbers who carried guns, knives, tasers and long metal invaded the guest house, meeting their victims in the corridor.

BBC Pidgin reported that the assailants asked the victims to lie down on the floor, and robbed them of their money, mobile phones, iPads, ATM cards, and other valuables.

The perpetrators also collected PIN codes of their bank cards and phones, before raping six females including a married woman among them.

The gang spent three hours robbing the British nationals and left around 4:00 am.

The Ghana police reacting, said, “All three men have been sentenced to 73 years imprisonment each. 23 years for firearms offences, 25 years for robbery offences and 23 years for rape. All of the men will serve their sentences concurrently.”

This means that the men will serve the highest of the three punishments, which is 25 years.

“All three men pleaded guilty at a court hearing in Accra in Ghana,” the police said.