Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum
THREE students who were arrested by the Western Regional Police Command for allegedly setting fire on a Navy rating at Bakado near Sekondi, leading to his death, have been remanded by a Sekondi District Court.
The students, Adolf Eshun, 18; Patrick Baidoo, 18 and Joseph Lord Nii Adjei Odiku, 17 years, suspected to be car snatchers, are all in the same Senior High School within the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis.
The unfortunate incident happened in the evening of Wednesday, December 22, 2021.
The navy rating, Okyere Boateng, who was with the Western Naval Command in Sekondi, was operating as a Bolt driver on that fateful evening to complement his income, when he was allegedly attacked by the three suspects.
The three were hauled before a Sekondi District Court presided over by Her Worship Catherine Obiri Addo.
The first accused person, Adolf Eshun, was charged with abetment of crime with regards to robbery. The other two, Patrick Baidoo, and Joseph Lord Nii Adjei Odiku were slapped with four counts including conspiracy to commit crime – attempted robbery, causing unlawful damage and murder, and attempt to commit crime -robbery.
Lawyer for one of the suspects, Joseph Evans Abeka, pleaded with the court to grant the suspects bail since school has reopened.
However, the prosecutor in the case, Inspector Jennifer Acheampong, asked the court not to grant the bail to allow investigations to continue and also for the safety of the suspects.
The court therefore remanded the suspects to reappear before it on February 4, 2022.
DSP Olivia Ewurabena Adiku, the Public Relations Officer of the Regional Police Command, told DAILY GUIDE that the students confessed to committing the heinous crime.
She said the suspects were arrested on Thursday, December 24, in an operation based on intelligence gathered by the Regional Intelligence and Operation Unit.
She, however, declined to mention the name of their school but said the school was within the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis.
She said, “The suspects confessed that they wanted to steal the car from the driver so when they got to Bakado, they asked the driver to hand over the keys but he refused, therefore, the suspects poured the petrol on him and burnt him.”
The suspects stopped the navy rating Bolt driver at Ketan and initially told him to take them to Chocoloate City, a popular pub in Sekondi.
One of the suspects then told the ‘Bolt driver’ that he would alight at Bakado, also near Sekondi.
When the driver got to the area and stopped for the person to alight, one of them at the backseat poured petrol on the naval rating and quickly lit a lighter, in an attempt to set him ablaze.
The bolt driver screamed for help and the assailants took to their heels.
Some residents rushed to the scene and assisted in sending the victim to the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital in Sekondi.
Okyere Boateng was later flown to the 37 Military Hospital in Accra for further medical attention but later died there.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Sekondi