Yaw Asante Agyekum, who was jailed for being Ataa Ayi's accomplice, has been freed

Yaw Asante Agyekum, an alleged accomplice of Raymond Aryee Ayittey, popularly known as Ataa Ayi, has been acquitted and discharged by the Court of Appeal after spending over 20 years in jail for conspiracy to commit robbery.

This follows the court's judgement on the case on Thursday, June 5, 2025, after determining whether Agyeman’s conviction should stand or if his sentence should be reduced after 8 years of legal battle.

Agyekum, a wrongfully convicted mechanic, was sentenced to 35 years in prison in December 2002 for conspiracy to commit robbery, serving over 20 years of his sentence.

On April 28, 2025, Bernard Kwabena Shaw, counsel for Agyeman, argued that there was no evidence to support the prosecution’s claims linking his client to the robberies committed by Ataa Ayi.

“The link to Ataa Ayi was that most of the motorbikes used by the robbers in Ataa Ayi’s network were repaired in his [Agyeman’s] workshop. So, when the swoop was carried out on Ataa Ayi, for some reason, because they found Agyeman’s name on their phones, they charged him along with the others for conspiracy to commit robbery. He had no legal counsel and was sentenced to 35 years with the others,” Shaw told journalists.

Background

Raymond Aryee Aryeetey, popularly known as Ataa Ayi, was arrested for terrorising Ghanaians in the early 2000s with his syndicate of armed robbers.

He became notorious for various forms of robberies, including carjacking, jewellery theft, house raids, and more.

He was apprehended at his hideout by the police during a sting operation following a tip-off in February 2005.

An Accra Fast Track High Court later sentenced him to 70 years and 20 years in separate cases of armed robbery.

MAG/AE