Gregory Afoko
The main investigator in the prosecution of Gregory Afoko, who is before an Accra High Court for allegedly murdering the Upper East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Adams Mahama, has concluded his evidence-in-chief before the court.
Detective Chief Inspector Augustine Nkrumah, who is stationed at the Homicide Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police in Accra, told the court what he did when the case was handed to him by his superiors.
The investigator, who began his testimony last Tuesday, told the court that they found a tracksuit in Gregory Afoko’s room with burns on the lower part of it upon a search in his room.
Led in evidence-in-chief by Mathew Amponsah, a chief state attorney, the investigator told the court that they made efforts to arrest one Asabke Alangdi, one of the suspects who absconded.
Detective Chief Inspector Nkrumah stated that he interrogated all the persons with some knowledge about the death of the late Adams Mahama, including his surviving wife, Hajia Zeinabu Adams.
He said after they completed the investigations in Bolgatanga, the police team in the region handed over the accused person to the team from Accra that detained him at the East Legon Police Station.
“He was brought to the office and after interrogation we took further caution statement from him because he had already given a statement to the Bolgatanga Team,” the investigator told the court.
Gregory Afoko, in a caution statement read in the court, upheld the statement he gave in the presence of his brother in Tamale.
Detective Chief Inspector Nkrumah stated that after the investigative caution statement was taken, the accused was accordingly charged with conspiracy to commit crime to wit murder and murder.
The investigator also tendered to court exhibits such as the shredded shirt of the late Adams Mahama, a gallon containing residues of the acid allegedly poured on him, carpets and samples of his car seat which all had acid residues on them.
Detective Chief Inspector Nkrumah also tendered a statutory statement by Gregory Afoko, which was made at the instance of the judge who did the committal.
Cross Examination
During cross-examination, the defence lawyer, Osafo Buabeng asked Detective Chief Inspector Nkrumah questions about the tracksuit found in Afoko’s room and the investigator confirmed the tracksuit had burns on the lower part.
He asked the investigator whether he took a good look at the body of the accused when he was arrested, which he answered in the affirmative.
The lawyer asked the witness whether he found scars on the body of the accused person as a result of burns, particularly on his legs.
The investigator said there were scars on his body but he could not tell the cause of those scars.
Mr. Buabeng put it to him that doctors who examined him said the wounds were not as a result of acid burns.
Detective Chief Inspector Nkrumah confirmed that Afoko was taken to the hospital, and the doctors gave a general view of the wound but were not specific on what caused them.
The lawyer asked the investigator to make the medical report available at the next sitting.
He agreed to look through his records for the medical report.
The court, presided over by Justice Lawrence L. Mensah, adjourned the matter to October 17, 2018.
By Gibril Abdul Razak