Benlord Ababio aka Nana Barima Ababio
The Attorney General has advised the police to officially charge Benlord Ababio aka Nana Barima Ababio, with murder over the killing of a military officer at Millennium City, Kasoa in the Central Region.
The self-acclaimed traditional ruler allegedly shot and killed the soldier on April 30, 2024 in front of the Millennium City Police Station.
The decision to charge him with murder is contained in an advice from the Office of the Attorney General after the docket was forwarded to the office on the way forward.
Detective Chief Inspector Adu Gyamfi yesterday told the court that they had received the advice which indicated that Benlord Ababio and Nana Kofi Amoh Kwakye should be charged with conspiracy to commit murder while Benlord should also be charged with a substantive charge of murder.
The court, presided over by His Worship Prince Osei Owusu, has ordered the prosecution to file the Bill of Indictment on the two for the committal proceeding on June 20, 2024.
Benlord Ababio allegedly shot the late soldier who had gone to the Millennium City Police Station to report an incident of trespassing on a half plot of land which is a subject of litigation.
The plea of the two has been reserved by the court which remanded them following a request by the police for the suspects to be remanded for further investigation.
The court has denied two bail applications by counsels for the accused persons after holding that it does not have jurisdiction to grant them bail.
The prosecution’s brief fact indicates that the deceased, Lance Corporal Michael Danso, was a military officer stationed at the Army Base Workshop at Burma Camp.
It states that on April 30, 2024, at about 4pm, the deceased Lance Corporal Michael Danso together with two of his colleagues – Lance Corporal Abdul Omar Rahman and Lance Corporal Ametus Matthew went to Millennium City Police Station on board a Toyota RAV4 with registration number 3591-24 to report a case of trespass.
It said this was upon information that some encroachers were developing a parcel of land belonging to Lance Corporal Abdul Omar Rahman.
The fact said the accused appeared at the police station, attacked and opened fire severally on Lance Corporal Michael Danso, who was in charge of the steering wheel of the Toyota RAV 4×4 vehicle, killing him instantly.
It added that the accused was immediately disarmed and arrested, and was subsequently arraigned for the court to remand him pending further investigations.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak