The convict reportedly stole the farm produce belonging to one Emmanuel Fenyn, a farmer in Agona Nyakrom.
The culprits, namely Ernest Saakwa (35), Emmanuel Amoaning (33), and Yaw Oboom (32), pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit a crime and stealing. The court ordered that the sentences for both offences would run concurrently.
This wasn't the trio's first encounter with the law. Prior to this incident, they had served three months in jail for stealing plantains, as pronounced by the same court.
During the proceedings, Detective Chief Inspector Aglagoh Lawson, acting as the prosecutor, presented the case before Magistrate Victor Kusi. Lawson explained that the complainant, who owned a cassava farm in Apumuso, near Nyakrom, reported the theft on November 5, 2023.
According to Lawson, on that Sunday, the convicts unlawfully harvested cassava worth GHC1,800.00 from the complainant's farm. A vigilant witness observed their actions and promptly informed the farmer, who, upon arrival, discovered the culprits had vanished.
Subsequent investigations and arrests revealed that the trio had admitted to uprooting the cassava and selling it for the aforementioned amount to an unidentified individual in Agona Swedru.
Following an investigation, they were arraigned, leading to their conviction and sentencing.
The sentencing of the ex-convicts has sparked mixed reactions, with some Ghanaians on social media describing it as harsh, arguing the convicts might simply be hungry. But others say they appear to be notorious thieves because of their track record.