Notorious Effia-Nkwanta Hospital robber jailed 10 years

A 36-year-old Nigerian national, Stanley Afaku, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Sekondi Circuit Court for a gunpoint robbery at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital in Sekondi.

Afaku, described by authorities as a known criminal, pleaded guilty to the charge of robbery and was convicted by Her Honour Naa Amberley Akowuah. As part of the sentencing, the court also ordered that the Ghana Immigration Service deport him upon completion of his jail term.

His alleged accomplice, Samuel Nickson, also known as Egya Acquah, pleaded not guilty and remains in police custody. He is scheduled to reappear in court on June 24, 2025, as he also faces a separate robbery charge.

The incident, detailed in a police statement signed by Superintendent Olivia Awurabena Adiku, Head of the Public Affairs Unit for the Western Region, occurred on February 23, 2025.

According to the report, Afaku and Nickson attacked Nash Arthur, a security guard at the hospital, at gunpoint. They tied him with his own shirt and stole his mobile phone before heading to the Out-Patient Department (OPD) pharmacy, where they made off with a flat-screen television.

Following weeks of investigation, police apprehended Afaku at a known hideout in the Esiama Bafana ghetto on June 4, 2025. He confessed to the crime during interrogation and implicated Nickson as his partner in the attack.

Authorities say the case highlights the importance of ongoing efforts to crack down on violent crimes in the region and ensure justice is served.