The Accra Circuit Court Nine, led by Samuel Bright Acquah, has sentenced 32-year-old Geoffrey Obuobi, an unemployed man, to six months of hard labor for stealing copper cables from the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
Obuobi was charged with three offenses: intentionally interfering with the supplier’s distribution system, causing unlawful damage, and theft. He pleaded guilty to all charges.
During the court proceedings, Detective Inspector Louis Mensah detailed the incident that took place on October 16, 2024. A resident of Lartebiokoshie, Seidu Amadu, encountered Obuobi carrying a sack. Upon noticing Obuobi’s suspicious behavior, Amadu questioned him about the contents of the sack. In response, Obuobi fled, prompting Amadu to pursue him on his motorbike while alerting others to the situation.
Obuobi was apprehended, and a search of the sack uncovered a 240-meter copper cable belonging to ECG, as well as a pair of pliers. Investigations revealed that Obuobi is an ex-convict who had recently completed a one-year prison sentence for a similar crime just two weeks prior.
The ECG has been grappling with a surge in cable thefts from their transformers, leading to increased efforts to raise public awareness about reporting any suspicious activities near their installations. The stolen cables were valued at GH¢ 7,550.
