Court jails man 25 months for setting three vehicles ablaze

In a recent court ruling, Emmanuel Lewis Ebuka, a 35-year-old man, has been sentenced to 25 months of imprisonment with hard labor. The Accra Circuit Court 10 handed down the sentence after convicting him on three counts of unlawful damage. Ebuka, who denied causing the damage, was found guilty by the court.

The incident occurred in July 2025 at a mechanic shop in Teshie Fertiliser, Accra. The complainant, Mr. Joshua Nii Kuntso Alabi, an auto mechanic living in Nungua, reported that Ebuka, an unemployed man with no fixed residence, was seen sleeping in one of the parked vehicles at the workshop. The workers ordered Ebuka to leave and warned him against returning.

On August 8, 2025, at around midnight, Ebuka returned to the workshop, entered a Chrysler Voyager (registration number GT 242 Z) with the intention of smoking inside the vehicle. After smoking, he allegedly discarded a cigarette butt, which ignited a fire. The defendant fled the scene upon noticing someone had seen him.

The fire quickly spread to three other vehicles—the Ford Ranger pickup (registration number GW 2615 R), Toyota 4Runner (registration number GS 1990 Z), and Toyota Tacoma pickup (registration number GC 1421-10). The three vehicles were completely destroyed, valued at GH¢75,000, GH¢40,000, and GH¢80,000 respectively, resulting in a total loss of GHC195,000. The partially damaged Toyota Tacoma was valued at GH¢80,000.

Upon investigation, Ebuka admitted to the offense during his caution statement. Subsequently, he was charged and brought before the court, where he was convicted and sentenced to 25 months of imprisonment with hard labor for each count, to be served concurrently.