Security operative before court - For murder of NPP Vice-Chairman

 January 14, 2014 (Page 32/33)

 

A national security operative was yesterday put before the circuit court in Accra for an alleged robbery and murder of the then New Patriotic Party (NPP) Vice-Chairman of the Dome Kwabenya Constituency, Mr Patrick Opoku Baah.

Wahab Naakpah, who appeared together with Alhaji Martey Tei Korley, alias Mohammed, displayed open grief when the court declined to grant him bail.
They were said to have committed the crime at Taifa in Accra, on June 18, 2009 and robbed the deceased of his jewellery, a single-barrelled pump action gun and GH¢3,500 cash.
Both face four counts of conspiracy, robbery and murder.
Korley, who is also known as ‘Commando’, faces an additional charge of possessing narcotic drugs without lawful authority.
They both pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Refusing them bail on the grounds that the offences were not bailable, the court, presided over by Mr Francis Obiri, remanded the two in custody to reappear on January 27, 2014.
Meanwhile, the docket on the case has been forwarded to the Attorney-General's office for advice.
Facts of the case
The facts of the case as presented by the prosecution were  that the son of the deceased, who is also the complainant in the case, lived together with his parents at Taifa.
Around 1 a.m. on June 18, 2009,  three armed men attacked  Mr Baah, his wife and son and robbed them of their belongings and GH¢3,500.
Mr Opoku Baah was shot three times in the chest when he attempted to pick up his pump action gun after the robbery.
They then took his gun and went to a room which housed the deceased's visitor from Germany, shot him also and robbed him of GH¢1000, 3,500 euros and a Nokia cellular phone.
The robbers bolted immediately after the robbery, while Opoku Baah and his German friend, Mr Claus Timmann, were rushed to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital for treatment. Unfortunately, Mr Baah was pronounced dead on arrival.
Mr Timmann was treated and  he left for Germany three days after the incident.
Arrests
On November 16, 2009, Korley was overheard by a witness telling people he was contracted to kill the deceased.
A witness in the case recorded Korley's confession and forwarded it to the police.
Naakpah was cited with another in the recordings as being one of the accomplices in the robbery.
Korley was subsequently arrested on November 17, 2013 and a search on him revealed one wrapper of Indian hemp in his pocket.
Naakpah was picked up on January 9, 2014. The police are making efforts to arrest a third accomplice.