A 24-year-old illegal miner, who stabbed an Okada rider to death with a pair of scissors and robbed his motorbike, has been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment with hard labour by the Tarkwa Circuit Court in the Western Region.

Jacob Dari, alias Jaybad, received his sentence from the presiding judge, Hathia Ama, after he pleaded guilty to the offence of robbery.

Detective Police Chief Inspector Adams Mumuni told the court that Dari is a resident of Patase, near Samreboi in the Wassa Amenfi West Municipality.

He said on May 1, 2025, the convict attended the May Day celebration in Samreboi and stayed there for three days.

The Prosecution said on May 5, 2025, Dari went to Patakro, a community in the same municipality and met his friend Justice Awiah, who is an 18-year-old, and now deceased. arranged with Awiah to pick him up at 1600 hours to Patase for a fee of GH¢200.

Detective Chief Inspector Mumuni said the deceased arrived at Dari’s place around 1830 hours on an unregistered Haojin motorbike valued at GH¢16,000, and they set off to Patase.

He said when they reached Amoaku, near Samreboi, around 2100 hours, Dari, armed with a pair of scissors, stabbed the deceased in the back, precisely the right rib are,a while the motorbike was in motion, and the impact caused both to fall off.

The convict then abandoned the deceased, who was lying in a pool of blood and rode off on the motorbike to Patase.

According to the prosecution, the deceased tried to return to Amoaku for treatment, but he fell by the road and passed away about 200 meters from where the incident occurred.

It said on May 6, 2025, around 7:00 hours, the convict who made his way to Ohiampenika was arrested by the neighbourhood watch committee following news of the incident, and he led them to Patase, where the motorbike was found and retrieved.

He said an enraged mob stormed the Ohiampenika community to take the law into their own hands, but the police acted swiftly and rescued Dari to the Samreboi police station to aid investigations.

Dari confessed in his investigation caution statement that he killed the deceased and stole the unregistered Haojin motorbike, the prosecutor said.

Detective police Chief Inspector Mumuni added that in respect to the charge of murder, a duplicate docket would be prepared and forwarded to the Attorney General’s office for study and advice.