Sekondi Nov.18 - GNA -A Sekondi High Court presided over by Mr Justice Clemence J. Honyenugah, on Thursday sentenced three armed robbers to a total of 90 years imprisonment in hard labour.

The accused are Wahab Amidu, a 20 year old unemployed and Issah Abubaicar, a 25 year old hawker, who received 35 years imprisonment each.

The other convicted person, Musah Mohammed, a herdsman, was jailed 20 years.

They all pleaded not guilty to the charge of robbery.

Passing sentence, Mr Justice Honyenugah deplored the activities of armed robbers, saying people who want to live in luxury must work for it and sweat to support their lifestyles.

He said such people do not have to take up arms and deprive others of what has taken them years to acquire overnight, in order to lead the kind of lives they want.

Mr Justice Honyenuah said the arm of the law is long and would sooner or later catch up with those involved in armed robbery and other crimes. He said the fact that the country is a democracy does not mean the people could do whatever they want even in contravention of the law adding those who break the law must be made to pay for it.

Mr Justice Honyenuah said the prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused committed robbery.

He ordered that some stolen mobile phones found with the accused persons be returned to their owners.

The case of the prosecution was that at about 1.00 a.m. on August 29 this year, the accused persons and others now at large mounted an illegal road block at a spot between Nsuaem and Essaman on the Takoradi-Tarkwa motorway.

He said the robbers armed with knives, cutlasses and other offensive weapons stopped 14 passenger vehicles and robbed about 40 people on board of their mobile phones and cash at gunpoint.

The prosecution said the robbers stopped an Urvan bus with registration number WR 1181 S heading from Dompim towards Takoradi. He said the driver of the vehicle, Anthony Yamikeh Edula was asked at gunpoint to put off the light in the vehicle and come out of the vehicle with the passengers.

The prosecution said when they had done so, the robbers got the keys to the vehicle from the driver, loaded their booty into it and drove away leaving their victims behind.

He said later, Edula boarded a Takoradi bound vehicle and when he got to the Apremdo barrier, he made a report of the incident and his stolen vehicle to the Police.

The prosecution said Edula then proceeded to the Kwesiminstim Police Station and lodged a complaint.

He said the Police mounted a search for the robbers on vehicles passing through the Apremdo barrier and the accused persons were arrested on three different vehicles.

The prosecution said when the accused persons were searched cash and mobile phones, including that of Edula were found on them. He said Edula was brought down to Kwesimintsim Police Station and identified the accused persons.

The prosecution said Edula vehicle was later found abandoned in a bush near a by-pass at Agona-Nkwanta.