The Nsuta Circuit Court in the Sekyere Central District of the Ashanti Region on Tuesday, May 13,2026 remanded a 30-year-old herdsman, Musah Yakubu, into police custody over the alleged theft of 65 cattle.
Yakubu, a resident of Atebubu in the Bono East Region, was remanded by the presiding judge, His Lordship Simon Nketiah Gagah.
Three other suspects identified only as Ali, Awudu, and Haruna are currently at large and are being pursued by the police in connection with the case.
According to the prosecution, Chief Inspector Owusu Kobi Moses, the complainant, Karim Abdulai, a 42-year-old cattle farmer residing at Asuoso along the Offinso-Akomadan highway, owns three kraals containing 65 cattle each and employs herdsmen to oversee the animals.
According to the prosecution, suspects Haruna, was an employee of the complainant and worked alongside two other herdsmen, Manu and Gado, at the cattle ranch located at Nkwankwaa. Ali, another suspect currently on the run, is said to be a former employee of the complainant, while Awudu is reportedly a friend of Haruna.
The Prosecutor mentioned that on May 8, 2026, at about 6:00 a.m., Haruna left for grazing with one batch of cattle but failed to return by the expected time of 5:00 p.m.
The following morning, the complainant received a telephone call from Manu, one of his herdsmen and a witness in the case, informing him that Haruna had not returned with the cattle.
The complainant subsequently organised a search party at the Nkwankwaa bush, but all efforts to locate the missing animals proved futile.
The complainant later received information from an informant, identified as Alhassan, that Musah Yakubu and his accomplices were heading towards Apenten, a community near Sekyedumase, with the cattle.
Acting on the intelligence, the complainant, together with some community members, traced the footprints of the animals into a nearby bush where they allegedly found the cattle grazing while the suspects were resting at a distance.
One of the suspects was reportedly armed with a single-barreled gun.
Fearing for his safety, the complainant proceeded to the Sekyedumase Police Station to lodge a formal complaint. Police officers later accompanied him to the scene, where Musah Yakubu was arrested.
However, the remaining suspects managed to escape.
Police retrieved 60 of the stolen cattle, while five animals remain unaccounted for.
The missing livestock include three bulls valued at GHC14,000 each, amounting to GHC42,000, and two cows valued at GHC13,000 each, bringing the total estimated loss to GHC68,000.
Photographs and video recordings of the recovered animals were taken as evidence, and the retrieved cattle have since been handed over to the complainant.
The prosecution told the court that investigations are still ongoing to apprehend the remaining suspects and complete the inquiry.
Due to the ongoing investigations, the plea of the accused person was not taken.
Musah Yakubu was remanded into police custody to assist with investigations.
The case has been adjourned to June 3, 2026, for the accused’s plea to be taken.
By Benjamin Aidoo
