Ataa Ayi’s Mechanic Speaks on His Ambitions: “I Want To Rebuild My Shop”

• Yaw Asante Agyekum, Ataa Ayi's former mechanic, opened up about his prison experience and desire to rebuild his life
• Yaw insists he was unaware of Ataa Ayi’s criminal activities and was imprisoned solely due to his association as a mechanic
• Now free, Yaw is determined to start over and hopes to reopen his vehicle repair shop to restore his livelihood

Yaw Asante Agyekum, the former mechanic of notorious Ghanaian armed robber Ataa Ayi, has spoken publicly about his dream of turning his life around after enduring years of hardship in prison.

In an interview with Nana Aba Anamoah, Yaw shared his desire to rebuild his life by returning to the trade he once loved, repairing vehicles.

“I just want to rebuild my shop,” he told Nana Aba Anamoah on her show, The Nana Aba Series.

Once a skilled and respected auto mechanic, Yaw’s association with Ataa Ayi led to his arrest and imprisonment.

Though he insists he was unaware of Ataa Ayi’s criminal activities and merely worked on his vehicles, the connection alone was enough to land him in police custody and, eventually, behind bars.

Now a free man, Yaw is determined to focus on building a better future. He claims he has paid the price for his past — even for things he did not do — and is now looking for an opportunity to start over.

Yaw Agyekum spends 23 years in jail

Yaw claims he was only 24 years old when he was arrested. Then, his second child was just one month old.

Speaking on his arrest, he claimed it happened at Kwahu Mpraeso when he went to visit his sick mother. He said Ataa Ayi was arrested four years after his arrest.

Ataa Ayi’s mechanic released after wrongful conviction

The Court of Appeal in Accra acquitted and discharged Yaw Asante Agyekum, who was wrongly convicted in 2002 as an alleged accomplice of robber Ataa Ayi on June 5, 2025.

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.

He maintains he was innocent of the charges pressed against him, and after years of being in jail and appealing his case, he was finally released.

Reactions to Yaw Agyekum's account of arrest

There have been various calls for Yaw to be compensated. Netizens who saw Yaw's interview with Nana Aba Anamoah were heartbroken and demanded compensation for Yaw.

@israelamoah6590 wrote:

"I met this man at Nsawam Prisons when I was serving the country. He commanded a lot of respect amongst his fellow inmates. I never knew he was Atta Ayi's mechanic until I saw him on TV. Lots of lessons to be learnt."

@Nature-rm9qd wrote:

"I hope next time there will be subtitles so it can reach a wider audience for those who don't understand Twi. Really sad story."

@Swampymassup8 wrote:

"This man is mature. I wanted to hear if he will mention any amount when the interviewer asked him, he only wanna clear the air that he’s not a bad person but, everything else is with the lawyer applause."

Ataa Ayi's mechanic shares a heartbreaking ordeal

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Yaw Asante Agyekum claimed he was arrested while visiting his sick mother in church at Mpraeso.

He alleged that police officers made him walk approximately 20 kilometres from Kwahu Mpraeso to Nkawkaw after his arrest.

Yaw insisted in an interview that his only connection to Ataa Ayi was professional, and he was unaware of any criminal activities.

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

Source: YEN.com.gh