Ataa Ayi’s Mechanic Recounts How Police Officers Made Him Walk From Kwahu Mpraeso to Nkawkaw

• Yaw Asante Agyekum, Ataa Ayi's former mechanic, claims he was arrested while visiting his sick mother in church at Mpraeso
• He alleges that police officers made him walk approximately 20 kilometres from Kwahu Mpraeso to Nkawkaw after his arrest
• Yaw insists his only connection to Ataa Ayi was professional, and he was unaware of any criminal activities

Yaw Asante Agyekum, the former mechanic of infamous Ghanaian armed robber Ataa Ayi, has opened up about the hardships he endured during his time in police custody.

Speaking in an interview with Nana Aba Anamoah, Yaw recounted his distressing arrest and a gruelling forced walk.

According to him, police officers allegedly made him walk a distance of approximately 20 kilometres from Kwahu Mpraeso to Nkawkaw after arresting him.

He explained that the incident occurred after the police received a tip-off that he was connected to Ataa Ayi’s gang.

At the time, he was in Mpraeso visiting his sick mother. He recalled that while sitting with her in a church, two police officers walked in and asked if he was Yaw.

“I told them yes, and they said they had heard I was a good mechanic — that’s why they came to me. But while we were talking, they suddenly grabbed me and said I was under arrest,” Yaw recounted.

The officers then asked him if he knew Ataa Ayi. When he responded affirmatively, they placed him under arrest.

Despite not being formally charged at that moment, he was forced to walk from Mpraeso to Nkawkaw under police custody.

“I cannot forget that day. I was just there to visit my mother, and suddenly I was being treated this way. They claim they were going to arrest another person and they made me walk that distance, while playing music,” he added.

Yaw maintains that his only connection to Ataa Ayi was his role as a mechanic and insists he was unaware of the criminal activities the latter was involved in.

Watch Agyekum's video below:

Ataa Ayi’s mechanic released after wrongful conviction

The Court of Appeal in Accra on June 5, 2025, 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.

Ghanaians demand compensation for Yaw Agyekum

Ghanaians who saw the video of Yaw, narrating his ordeal, were heartbroken and expressed mixed reactions in the comments section. Many demanded compensation for Yaw.

@SerwaaPreimann wrote:

"He needs to be compensated!!"

@HipsyAfya wrote:

"This is very heartbreaking."

@enochdela88 wrote:

"I don't know, but if I'm a mechanic and I work on someone's bike for a while...someway somehow I'll know the work the person does. I might not be involved in the crime in question but ....just but. I can't totally blame the judicial system."

Yaw Agyekum's daughter speaks after dad's release

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the second daughter of Yaw Agyekum Asante reacted joyfully to the release of her father after over 20 years of being in jail.

In a video, she rejoiced over the development and promised to make him a special meal when they arrived at their house.

Netizens who saw the video were filled with emotions and expressed mixed reactions in the comments section.

Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.

Source: YEN.com.gh