Vodafone Cable Thieves Get 19 Years

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Created on Tuesday, 13 August 2013 00:00

Vodafone Cable Thieves Get 19 Years

An Accra Circuit Court on Saturday, August 3, 2013 sentenced three persons to a total of 19 years’ imprisonment for stealing copper cables belonging to Vodafone.

Damage to the cables, valued at GH¢22,068.00, affected over 2,000 customers including some financial and educational institutions and residents at Abeka, a suburb of Accra.

Prosecuting, DSP Alex Odonkor of the Greater Accra Police Command told the court that on March 25, 2012, Sherif Yakubu and David Adzedu wore Vodafone T-shirts and hired Kojo Joshua Atimbila, a driver of a crane to convey the cables from Abeka Junction to Vodafone’s former headquarters in Kwame Nkrumah Circle.

According to Kojo Joshua Atimbila, Sherif and David claimed they were staff of Vodafone and he charged them GH¢350 for the use of the truck.

Residents in the area became suspicious when they saw the three dragging the cables into the truck and reported the incident to the Tesano Police Station.

The three accused persons took to their heels on arrival of the Police, but Sherif Yakubu and Kojo Joshua were apprehended.

David was later arrested and the three accused persons were charged with conspiracy and stealing and subsequently arraigned before court.

Sherif and David were sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment while Kojo was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.

Vodafone Ghana has collaborated with the Police and the Judicial Service to hold special court sessions on Saturdays to expedite action on all cable theft cases.

According to the telecoms company, cable theft accounts for nearly 25 percent of all reported broadband faults.

In 2012, the company lost GH¢5 million as a result of the replacement of stolen cables.

In order not to inconvenience customers, Vodafone uses alternative routes to re-connect customers while replacing such cables.

A business desk report

Source: Daily Guide/Ghana