A painter working on the Bank of Ghana building at Ridge, Accra, has been remanded into police custody for allegedly stealing large quantities of assorted copper cables valued at GH¢1,035,500.

Ahmed Mohammed Lawal was arrested after a review of CCTV footage reportedly captured him and two accomplices—who are currently at large—removing the cables from the site. He appeared before an Accra Circuit Court, where he pleaded not guilty to charges of unlawful entry and stealing.

The court, presided over by Mrs. Sedinam Awo Kwadam, adjourned the case to March 19, 2025, while police continue efforts to apprehend Lawal’s accomplices.

Prosecuting the case, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Augustin Kingsley Oppong told the court that the complainants, Samuel Nii Tettey and Davidson Mensah Otinkorang, are a safety officer and an electrical engineer, respectively, working on the new Bank of Ghana building, which is still under construction.

According to ASP Oppong, on February 16, 2025, the complainants discovered that someone had broken into the Energy Farm—a section of the construction site—and stolen bundles of LC x 240 square and LC x 300 square copper cables, all valued at over GH¢1 million.

This prompted a review of the site’s CCTV footage, which allegedly revealed Lawal and his accomplices cutting and removing the cables. Following this discovery, the accused was apprehended and handed over to the police.

Investigations later uncovered that the suspects had gained access to the secured area by using a scaffold. “The accused person and his accomplices cut the copper cables with a sharp object and took them (the cables) away,” ASP Oppong told the court.

Further inquiries revealed that the stolen cables were sold to an individual at Kwame Nkrumah Circle, with Lawal receiving GH¢2,000 as his share of the proceeds. However, he was unable to assist the police in locating his accomplices or the individual who purchased the stolen materials.

Prosecution assured the court that investigations were still ongoing.