Ataa Ayi’s Mechanic Released After Wrongful Conviction Led To 23 Years In Jail

• The Court of Appeal has freed Yaw Asante Agyekum after he was wrongly convicted in 2002 as an alleged accomplice of robber Ataa Ayi.
• Agyekum had served 23 years of a 35-year sentence for conspiracy to commit robbery before being freed
• He was said to be a mechanic of Ayi, who had a crew which operated in the 1990s and early 2000s

The Court of Appeal in Accra has acquitted and discharged Yaw Asante Agyekum, who was wrongly convicted in 2002 as an alleged accomplice of robber Ataa Ayi.

Agyekum had served 23 years of a 35-year sentence for conspiracy to commit robbery before the court ruled that he had been wrongfully convicted.

GBC news reported that Agyekum had been convicted of the crime of conspiracy to commit murder.

He was said to be a mechanic of Ayi, whose crew terrorised Accra in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Ayi and his crew were convicted of multiple counts of robbery.

Agyekum, however, appealed the sentence with his lawyers arguing that the prosecution was not able to link their client to any of the crimes.

Upon appeal, the court of appeal agreed with the lawyers of Agyekum, who had no legal representation when he was convicted, and thus set aside the conviction.

He recalled to the press that his daughter was just a month old when he went to jail.

Agyekum's child speaks on release

Agyekum's daughter expressed joy over the latest development in her father's case.

She told the press she would give him a treat when they finally got home.

To celebrate the occasion, she promised to prepare fufu, a Ghanaian delicacy, for him.

"I'll cook fufu and light soup for him because I'm very happy. Anytime I go there and visit him, I feel very sad. I can't even eat. Today, it's tears of joy, and I feel very happy."

Netizens call for legal action

Netizens who saw the video were filled with mixed emotions of joy and outrage. Many called for the man to take legal action against the state for wasting twenty years of his life in jail.

@PoSsiBle654 wrote:

"Are they sueing them?"

@Abubakar Passum Abdul Gaffar wrote:

"His lawyers must do the needful by sueing the state for compensation."

@Eunice Kweki Brown wrote:

"If I'm the this erh. I would have sued them."

Girl almost cries as she visits dad in prison

YEN.com.gh reported that a 7-year-old girl got emotional after she visited her father in prison for the first time in her life.

Her mum, who took the girl there, recorded the journey and shared it on TikTok, saying that it was the best decision she made.

Source: YEN.com.gh