Two Burkinabes Jailed For Possessing Firearms

Two Burkinabes were, last Friday, sentenced to 40 years� imprisonment with hard labour by the Accra Circuit Court for possessing firearms without lawful authority. The convicts, Sare Yacouba, driver, and Suleymane Porgo, painter, pleaded guilty to the charge. The two had in their possession two unregistered pistols with serial numbers P7-13-12308 , Pa -15-60468 as well as 32 rounds of 9mm-19 ammunitions. They arrived at the Aflao border post with the intention of using the Beat Nine route to Togo. But the youth in the area suspected the convicts to be criminals and conducted a search on them which revealed the unregistered pistols stacked on their side waists. The youth handed them over to the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) at Aflao for further investigations. Sentence Delivering the sentence, the court, presided over by Mr Ali Baba, expressed worry over the proliferation of small arms on the African continent, saying these pistols were supplied to armed robbers to aid them in their attacks. He ordered exhibits from the convicts to be destroyed on the premises of the court and sentenced them to 20 years each. Sentences are to run concurrently. Fact of case Prosecuting, DSP Mr Peter Sakyi, said on July 5 2014, the convicts arrived at the Aflao border post to enable them to cross to Togo. Upon their arrival at the border, he said, the youth suspected the convicts to be criminals and decided to conduct a search on them. He said the search revealed the convicts carrying pistols at the side of their waists. Further search revealed 32 rounds of 9mm ammunitions in the pocket of Yacouba, Mr Sakyi said. Suspecting the convicts to be criminals, the prosecution said the youth handed them over to the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) at Aflao for further investigations. During interrogation, the DSP said Yacouba admitted the offence and stated that �he bought the pistols in Abidjan to be delivered to one Seidu Abubakar and Abdul Majeed at Zongo Porsec in Benin.�