The police have arraigned four more persons over false claims that their genitals were missing, leading to chaotic scenes and innocent people being assaulted.
Israel Dzeklo, a 27-year-old cleaner and Joshua Neequaye, a driver have been charged with one count of publication of false news with intent to cause fear and panic for claiming that their penises were missing after they were touched by a child identified as Bright Bosompem, a special needs child at Dansoman in the Greater Accra Region on April 5, 2024.
Alex Forson, 27, shop keeper, and the fourth accused only identified as Ashowff who is on the run, have each been charged for intentionally causing harm to Bright Bosompem, who was accused by the other two suspects of being responsible for the disappearance of their penises.
The three who were in court all pleaded not guilty to the charges and they were remanded into police custody by the court presided over by Her Honour Halima Abdul El Lawal Basit to reappear on April 25, 2024.
This brings to nine, the number of people who have been charged and put before court for publication of false news regarding the alleged disappearance of their genitals that led to fear and panic among the public and attacks on innocent citizens.
The Ghana Police Service, in a statement on X, indicated that police investigations, including medical examinations, disclosed that all the claims are false.
Prosecution’s Facts
The prosecution’s brief facts indicate that on April 5, 2024, at about 8:20pm, Bright Bosompem, a special needs child and the complainant in the case had lost his way home and was hungry, and was begging for money to buy food.
The facts indicate that he went to Ashowff begging for money, and the accused rather “raised an alarm that the complainant has made his penis to disappear and started beating the complainant.”
Court documents state that this attracted other persons including Alex Forson to the scene, and the two subjected the complainant to severe beatings with offensive weapons.
“Complainant sustained severe bodily injuries. Police got the information, moved to the scene and rescued the complainant to the Dansoman Police Station charge office,” the documents pointed out.
The complainant made a report to the police and police medical form was issued to him to attend hospital.
The facts add that later that day, Israel Dzeklo and Joshua Neequaye at various times also went to the Dansoman Police Station and reported that the complainant had made their penises to disappear after having body contact with them.
The two were however “examined and their penis were intact,” the facts added.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak