In a moment of long-awaited justice, Paul Avortide, a 25-year-old Nigerian man, has been sentenced to 19 years in prison with hard labour for attacking a pregnant woman during a violent robbery in Ghana. The sentencing, handed down by the Ho Circuit Court on July 1, 2025, came as a wave of relief to both the victim and a community shaken by the cruelty of the crime.
It was around 4 a.m. on May 21 when Ogechi Chidiebere, a Nigerian expectant mother living in Ho, set out for antenatal care at the Ho Municipal Hospital. But her journey was violently interrupted at Tsikpota, near New Housing, where a machete-wielding Avortide—also known as “Tinted”—accosted her, demanding money and belongings.
He made away with GHS 3,000 and her Tecno Spark 30c smartphone, leaving the shaken mother-to-be traumatised and helpless. The brazen attack on a vulnerable woman in broad dawn sparked widespread outrage in the community and prompted an urgent manhunt by the Volta Regional Police Command.
Almost a month later, on June 19, a breakthrough came when officers arrested Harmony Nbonu, a 23-year-old known in the area as “Arab Money”, at the Ho main market. Nbonu was found with the stolen smartphone and confessed during interrogation that Avortide had sold it to him for GHS 850.
Acting swiftly on that lead, police tracked Avortide to Matse, a suburb of Ho, where he was attempting to flee. He was arrested and charged with robbery under Ghana’s Criminal Offences Act, while Nbonu was charged with dishonestly receiving stolen property.
At trial, Avortide pleaded guilty and was convicted on his own admission. His co-accused, Nbonu, was acquitted and discharged.
With Avortide now in the custody of the Ho Regional Prison, the police say the message is clear—criminals will be tracked, arrested, and brought to justice no matter how far they run.
“The Command remains resolute in its efforts to track down and bring to justice all individuals who pose a threat to peace and security in the Region,” the Volta Regional Police said in a statement.
As for Ogechi, the brave mother who survived a terrifying ordeal, her strength is a testament to the resilience of women who fight through pain and fear just to give life. With her attacker behind bars, she—and many like her—can now breathe a little easier.
