A 32-year-old cattle dealer, Musah Iddrisah, who was among a group of highway robbers, has been sentenced to 25 years imprisonment in hard labour by the Juaso Circuit Court.
He was arrested together with one accomplice, who died in the course of investigations, when their robbery attempt was foiled by the Konongo police in 2005 after a gun battle with the police resulting in the death of two others of the gang.
Iddrisah, who pleaded not guilty to the charge, was convicted after the trial, which lasted two months.
Detective Police Chief Inspector Stephen Operate, prosecuting, told the court presided over by Mr Jacob Boon that on November 28, 2005, the Konongo police had information that a group of armed young men had blocked the Konongo-Kumasi highway at a place called Ohene-Nkwanta.
When the police got to the scene, they spotted four persons armed with pistols stopping vehicles from both directions and extorting money from passengers.
On seeing the police they fled into a nearby bush but the police pursued them resulting into a gun-battle between them and the police.
The police, however, managed to kill two of them instantly and arrested the accused and one other.
They appeared before the Konongo magistrates' court where they were remanded, but the other accomplice died while in custody.