A 35-year-old Nigerian national, Emmanuel Lewis Ebuka, has been sentenced to 25 months’ imprisonment with hard labour by the Accra Circuit Court for his role in a fire that destroyed a mechanic shop at Teshie Fertilizer.

Ebuka was convicted after the court found him responsible for leaving a lit cigarette butt inside a vehicle, which subsequently triggered the fire and caused extensive damage to vehicles at the mechanic shop.

The blaze destroyed three vehicles valued at a total of GH¢195,000.

They included a Chrysler Voyage valued at GH¢75,000, a Ford Ranger worth GH¢40,000, and a Toyota 4Runner valued at GH¢80,000.

According to the court proceedings, Ebuka had previously been warned not to sleep inside a vehicle at the mechanic shop.

However, on the night of August 8, 2025, he reportedly returned to the premises and slept in one of the vehicles.

The court heard that after smoking, Ebuka left a lit cigarette butt inside the vehicle. The cigarette allegedly ignited materials within the vehicle, causing the fire to spread and destroy the vehicles parked at the mechanic shop.

The incident resulted in significant financial losses, with the value of the destroyed vehicles estimated at GH¢195,000.

Following the proceedings, the Accra Circuit Court sentenced Ebuka to 25 months in prison with hard labour.