An Accra Circuit Court, hearing the case of two soldiers and seven other civilians accused of trading in ammunitions, have granted the suspects a GH¢200,000 bail.
The court, presided over by Rosemary Torsu Baah, granted them bail with two sureties, and asked them to be reporting to the criminal investigation department headquarters once a week, till further determination of the case in court.
The accused persons, No. 201709 Cpl Arafat Kunde, soldier; Ex Lance Corporal Ato Rahman Iddrisu alias W.O. Rahman; Mahama Makbool, unemployed; Nancy Ashong, trader; Michael Akwesi Sakyi; Alex Doste; James Mawuena aka James Sedofia (at large); Akwesi aka Upgrade, (at large); and Joseph Papa Quansah (at large) would be answering two counts of illicit trafficking in firearms.
Prosecuting, DSP Sylvester Asare said sometime in January 2022, police received information that some group of persons were dealing in firearms and ammunition.
Upon receipt of the information, police mounted surveillance on the accused persons, and on February 18, 2022, Nancy Ashong was arrested at Fadama, a suburb of Accra, and a search conducted in her kitchen revealed sixteen (16) boxes of 7.2 x 39mm Ball (24,000 rounds of AK 47 ammunition).
He said when Nancy Ashong was questioned at her house on where she got the firearms, she mentioned Mahama Makbool as the person who kept the boxes of ammunition in her kitchen.
“Subsequently, Mahama Makbool was arrested at his house close to Nancy’s residence, and a search conducted in his room revealed one Smith & Wesson SD9 VE pistol with Serial No. FBU2848.
DSP Asare continued that during interrogation, Makbool admitted that he sent the sixteen boxes of the AK47 ammunition to Nancy’s kitchen for safe keeping.
He said Makbool further admitted ownership of the Smith & Wesson pistol, and mentioned NO. 201709 Cpl Arafat Kunde as the person who supplied him with the ammunition, together with two SMG rifles to be sold to him.
The police later arrested Cpl Arafat Kunde at Kasoa, and during interrogation admitted having supplied twenty (20) boxes of AK47 ammunition to Makbool.
He said Cpl Kunde again mentioned Ex Lance Corporal Ato Rahman Iddrisu alias W.0. Rahman, a retired soldier, as his source of the rifles.
“The investigation further led to the arrest of Michael Akwesi Sakyi and Alex Doste as accomplices, where further investigation established that Cpl Kunde was a bodyguard to suspect Kwesi Sakyi,” the prosecution stated.
The prosecutor said suspects, Sakyi and W.O Rahman provided an accommodation on the Spintex Road which was used for the illicit activities.
“Again, investigation had it that whilst Cpl was in custody, he managed to contact Michael Sekyi, his boss and informed him of extra ammunition kept in his room at Spintex road.
Subsequently, Sakyi and W.O Rahman managed to move six boxes including 9000 rounds of AK 47 assault rifle ammunition from Cpl Kunde’s room to a house at East Airport residential, and kept same in an abandoned vehicle which was later retrieved by the police,” the prosecution added.
DSP Asare said their preliminary investigation had established that in addition to the 22 boxes of AK 47 assault rifle ammunition retrieved from the accused persons, James Mawuena gave two SMG assault rifles to Cpl Kunde to be sold.
Consequently, Cpl Kunde also gave the rifles to Makbool who successfully sold one at the cost of GH¢11,800.00 and returned the other one to Cpl Kunde.
By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey