Court refuses bail for eight

September 4, 2008 (Page 3)

The Osu District Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday refused bail for eight persons who have been accused of committing murder during the Bawku conflicts.
The accused persons — Alhaji Fuseini Abugri, Amadu Abugri, Alidu Abugri, Imoro Salifu, Adamu Salifu, Haruna Ibrahim, Tanim Adam and Adamu Salifu — were arrested on different occasions by a joint military and police task force deployed in Bawku to restore law and order.
They have all pleaded not guilty to various counts of conspiracy and murder charges.
According to the court, the accused persons were murder suspects and it was, therefore, not prudent for the court to grant them bail.
It, therefore, gave the prosecution two weeks to put its facts together in order for the trial to begin.
The court, which refused to grant the bail after counsel for the accused persons, Mr Carl Adongo, had prayed the court to grant them bail, adjourned the matter to September 16, 2008.
According to the counsel, the accused persons, who he said included minors, had been in custody since January, 2008.
He, therefore, prayed the court to grant them bail, since they would co-operate with the court during the trial.
Earlier, the court enquired why the accused persons were not in court, to which the prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Patrick Morkeh, explained that the investigators in the case had arrived from Bawku and would, therefore, need a month to put the facts of the case together.
The murder suspects were first arraigned before the court on July 4, 2008 charged with various counts of conspiracy and murder.
They have all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The prosecutor informed the court that Alhaji Fuseini, Amadu and Alidu Abugri, all siblings, allegedly slit the throats of an 80-year-old man and children at a village in Bawku on June 25, 2008 in retaliation over the death of their relative.
The prosecution said Imoro and Adamu Salifu shot and killed a contractor who was returning from the mosque on May 4, 2008 without any provocation, while Haruna Ibrahim, a Kusasi, was accused of ambushing Muniru Adam and chopping off his head in the process on May 5, 2008.
Tanim Adam, a revenue collector, was accused of using an object to kill Yeremin Alhassan, a 53-year-old educationist, on May 13, 2008.
Adamu Salifu was alleged to have vandalised property, killing one person in the process, at a festival in Bawku on December 31, 2007.
In a related development, the Fast Track High Court has ordered the prosecution to put its facts together by October 10, 2008 in the case where six persons have been charged with possessing firearms and ammunition without authority and dishonestly receiving.
The six, including Daniel Yeboah, a Police Constable; Nuhu Fuseini, 15; Sumaila Seidu, Issaka Fuseini, Awumbila John Ndego and Alhassan Hamza, were arrested on different occasions at Bawku.
Apart from Nuhu Fuseini who has been remanded at the Osu Juvenile Home, the rest have been remanded in police custody.
All the accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charge of possessing firearms and ammunition without lawful authority.
The brief facts of the case were that Sumaila Seidu was caught by security forces while in possession of a locally manufactured pistol loaded with live cartridges around 8.00 p.m. on February 4, 2008, while Nuhu Fuseini was arrested in possession of 16 rounds of ammunition.
According to the prosecution, on May 13, 2008, Daniel Yeboah allegedly stole an AK 47 assault rifle and 30 rounds of ammunition, while Ndego was caught in possession of two AK 47 assault rifles on June 27, 2008.
Issaka Fuseini and Daniel Yeboah were charged with dishonestly receiving and possessing firearms and ammunition without lawful authority, while Alhassan Hamza was charged with possessing firearms without lawful authority.