The Accra Circuit Court has remanded a 49-year-old Nigerian national, Augustine Okechuku Maazi, into police custody for two weeks over his alleged involvement in a robbery syndicate operating across Ghana and neighbouring countries.
Okechuku Maazi is facing eight counts of conspiracy to commit robbery in connection with alleged attacks in Tema, Spintex and Labone. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The prosecution told the court that the accused was allegedly part of a six-member syndicate that targeted people shortly after they had conducted transactions at banks.
According to the prosecution, the group allegedly operated across Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Benin and had been under police surveillance since May 2026 following an alleged robbery attack at Spintex.
The investigation intensified on August 13, 2026, when police reportedly engaged some members of the alleged syndicate in a shootout at Labone.
Two suspects were killed during the confrontation, while three others reportedly escaped and remain at large.
Okechuku Maazi was subsequently arrested and brought before the court to face the charges.
His lawyer applied for bail, but the prosecution opposed the application, arguing that investigations were still ongoing and that the accused posed a flight risk.
The prosecution also urged the court to allow investigators additional time to pursue other members of the alleged syndicate and establish the full circumstances surrounding the reported attacks.
Presiding judge, JoJo Amoah Hagan, declined the bail application and ordered that Okechuku Maazi be held in police custody for two weeks.
The accused is expected to return to court on September 2, 2026, when the case will come up again.
The case remains at the allegation stage, and Okechuku Maazi is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.
