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One of the suspected robbers in the Koala robbery incident has been released from the Police Hospital and taken into police custody.

Stanley Obaliko, alias Sully Mohammed, 35, a Nigerian resident in Ghana, and another suspect, Okoe Quarcoe, 30, unemployed, sustained injuries when they attempted to rob a Marketing Administrator of Koala Shopping Centre on January 9, 2016 in Accra.

A taxi driver who chanced on the incident chased the two suspects who were on a motorcycle with his vehicle and knocked them off their motorbike into a gutter.
The two have since been on admission at the Police Hospital under police guard.

Last Friday, the hospital administration discharged Obaliko and he is currently in the custody of the Accra Regional Police.  He is being prepared for court.

Police confirmation

The Accra Regional Police Command Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Afia Tenge, who confirmed this to the Daily Graphic, debunked speculations that one of the suspects had escaped from police custody.

She stated that Quarcoe was still on admission at the Police Hospital and under guard.

Three accomplices: Michael Edoe Ahiataku, an ex-soldier; Gilbert Osabutey, a shop supervisor at Koala Shopping Centre, and Frederick Sedro Kwame, a private security guard with Acasia Building Company, who were arrested in connection with the case, have been put before court.

The three who pleaded not guilty to the charges of conspiracy to commit crime, possession of firearm and ammunition without authority, robbery and causing harm have since been remanded in police custody.

Two other persons who are at large are being hunted by the police.

Facts of the case

According to the facts of the case which were presented in court on January 6, three of the accused, Ahiataku, Osabutey and Kwame, hatched a plan to rob the Koala Shopping Centre, and sought the assistance of two accomplices now at large, who also recruited Obaliko and Quarcoe to carry out the plot.

On January 8, at about 8 p.m., all the accused persons met at the Koala Shopping Centre at Cantonments, and Osabutey, the shop supervisor, briefed them on the movements of the Marketing Administrator of Koala Shopping Centre, Ms Lydia Horsu, who goes round daily to collect money from sales and later sends it to the company’s head office at the Airport residential.  They planned to rob her the following day.

On January 9, at about 8 a.m., Ms Horsu went to the Cantonments branch, and decided to just audit the company’s invoices and vouchers and left, en route to the head office.

Osabutey, who was at the shop, alerted Ahiataku and Kwame, via mobile phone, as well as Obaliko and Quarcoe, who were riding a blue BMW motorbike close by, that the complainant had left.

Taxi driver

Obaliko and Quarcoe are said to have trailed the complainant to a section of the road near the American Embassy at Cantonments, and Obaliko, who was the pillion rider, alighted, pointed a pistol at Ms Horsu and ordered her to surrender her handbag.

Lydia is said to have initially refused to comply and raised an alarm which infuriated Obaliko, who pushed her to the ground and forcibly snatched the handbag from her. Thereafter, Obaliko shot her twice in her left thigh and calf, after which he and Quarcoe sped off on their motorbike.

A taxi driver who witnessed the incident chased them with his vehicle and knocked them off their motorbike into a gutter.

Subsequently, a report was made to the police, leading to the arrest of Obaliko and Quarcoe.

The taxi driver, who was hailed for his heroic act, has since been honoured by the management of Koala Shopping Centre and the state.