(In Ghana) Justice After 23 Years: Yaw Asante Agyekum Freed as Court Clears Him of Ataa Ayi Robbery Charges

Yaw Asante Agyekum, a mechanic wrongfully convicted as an accomplice to Ghana’s notorious armed robber Ataa Ayi, has gained widespread attention in Ghana following his acquittal after 23 years in prison. On June 5, 2025, the Court of Appeal in Accra overturned Agyekum’s 2010 conviction, ending his long ordeal behind bars.

Arrested in 2002, Agyekum was sentenced to 35 years for conspiracy to commit murder, based on claims he worked as a mechanic for Ataa Ayi’s criminal gang, which operated across Accra in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Ataa Ayi, born Raymond Ayeetey, was captured in 2005 and sentenced to 160 years for multiple armed robberies. Agyekum’s conviction, however, rested on unreliable confessions from other suspects, with no solid evidence linking him to the crimes.

A three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, presided over by Justice Janapare Bartels-Kodwo and supported by Justices Aboagye Tanoh and Stephen Oppong, ruled that the prosecution’s case lacked merit. The court noted Agyekum had no legal representation during his original trial, further invalidating the conviction. 

His lawyer, George Bernard Shaw, fought an eight-year legal battle to secure his release, emphasizing that Agyekum’s only connection to Ataa Ayi was repairing motorbikes at his workshop.

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Ghanaians have shown strong support for Agyekum, using the hashtag #Freedafter23years to express solidarity and launching crowdfunding campaigns to aid his reintegration after over two decades of wrongful imprisonment. His case has sparked renewed calls for justice system reforms and compensation for those wrongfully convicted, as the nation celebrates his freedom and resilience.