The complainant and some members of GPRTU at the forecourt of the court
The Asokwa District Court Two in Kumasi has adjourned to June 1, 2026, a case involving a transport operator and member of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Hamisu Ibrahim, who is facing charges of abetment of crime, to wit threat of harm.
The court, presided over by Her Honour Vida Achiaa Yeboah, adjourned the matter after rejecting a request by the prosecution for a bench warrant to be issued against the accused person.
During proceedings, Prosecutor ASP Stephen Ofori told the court that both the accused person and his surety were given advance notice on Friday, May 15, 2026, and had assured the prosecution of their presence in court on Monday.
According to the prosecutor, at about 10:30 a.m. on the day of the hearing, attempts to contact the surety proved unsuccessful as the surety allegedly declined to speak, while the accused person’s phone was switched off.
The prosecutor argued that the conduct of the accused person indicated attempts to evade justice and, therefore, prayed the court to issue a bench warrant for his arrest.
However, lawyer for the accused person, Henry Asante, opposed the application, insisting that the prosecution had failed to provide any evidence of communication between the prosecution and the accused person or his surety.
Defence counsel further explained that the accused person took ill on Sunday and was admitted to the Boakye Danquah Memorial Hospital before being discharged on Monday morning.
Counsel tendered a medical excuse letter before the court indicating that the accused person was unfit to undertake any activity, including attending court proceedings, for two weeks and was expected to return for medical review on May 29, 2026.
He, therefore, prayed the court for a short adjournment.
In her ruling, Her Honour Vida Achiaa Yeboah stated that since the court had not sighted any “core record” of communication between the prosecution and the accused person or the surety, the court would tread cautiously in the matter.
The court subsequently adjourned the case to June 1, 2026, and directed the prosecution to ensure the accused person appears before the court on the next adjourned date.
The facts of the case were not read in court.
According to police facts, the complainant, Sumaila Boakye Mohammed, Ashanti Regional Chairman of the GPRTU of TUC Ghana, reported the matter to the Regional Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters in Kumasi over alleged threats linked to an ongoing civil case.
Police investigations revealed that there have been several litigations between the complainant and some members of the GPRTU in the Ashanti Region, including the accused person, with some of the cases currently pending before the High Courts in Kumasi.
The prosecution alleged that on March 27, 2026, the complainant spotted four men in the company of the accused person at the court premises during proceedings involving the accused.
The prosecution further indicated that on April 1, 2026, one Mubarak Suleman allegedly informed the complainant that he and three others had been hired by the accused person to harass, intimidate and threaten him to abandon the civil case.
The matter was subsequently reported to the police, leading to the arrest of the accused person.
In his cautioned statement made in the presence of an independent witness, Hamisu Ibrahim reportedly admitted hiring the four men, but explained that they were only engaged to provide surety for a member of the GPRTU.
Meanwhile, after proceedings, the complainant addressed some members of the association who accompanied him to court and appealed to them to remain calm and patient.
He cautioned them against taking the law into their own hands, and urged them to allow the court process to take its course.
He also thanked them for their support.
FROM David Afum, Kumasi