The Accra Central District Court has transferred to the Nsawam Prisons 19 persons, including a woman, charged over the murder of Major Maxwell Adams at Denkyira-Obuase in the Central Region.
The order followed a request by the prosecution to change the place of remand of the accused persons from police custody to prison custody.
Prosecutor DSP George Amegah stated that currently, the accused persons were all being detained at different locations for security reasons.
He explained that the police were concerned about the security of the accused persons and that it was in their interest to be remanded into prison custody, especially considering the way police officers are being attacked these days.
On Remand
The accused persons on remand are William Baah aka Misky, teacher/assemblyman; Yaw Annor aka Agbahowa, mason; Akwasi Baah aka Baya, farmer; Kwame Tuffour aka Asowonan, driver; Akwasi Asante, farmer; Joseph Appiah Kubi aka Kum Dede, driver;Â Kwadwo Animah, mason; Philip Badu, prisons assistant; Kofi Nyame aka Abortion, farmer and Michel Anim aka Nana Anim.
The others are Bernard Asamoah aka Daddy, driver’s mate; Ebenezer Appiah aka Akwesi Adjei; Charles Quainin aka Kwesi Boah, vulcanizer; Anthony Amoah aka Kwaku Manu/Amis, okada operator; Bismark Donkor aka Dada, farmer; Kwame Agyei, farmer; Solomon Sackey, carpenter; John Bosie aka Abodie, driver’s mate and Vivian Sahene aka Mafia, unemployed.
According to DSP Amegah, the accused persons and 13 others currently at large acted together with a common purpose to murder the soldier (Major Mahama).
The police are currently on the heels of Yaw Amakwah, Kwadjo Fordjour, Kwabena Kenkeba, Tikwa, Yaw Boadu, Fuseini, Madam Deedikor, Eric Asante aka Yaw Agade, Nana Kwadjo aka Naa Ajo, Kweku Diesel, Kofi Ahenkora, Solo, Rasta and Wiser.
Docket At AG’s
They are among 32 suspected persons initially dragged before court of competent jurisdiction for allegedly playing various roles in the murder of the 5 Battalion of Infantry soldier on May 29, 2017.
Major Mahama was the commander of a military detachment stationed at Diaso in the Upper Denkyira West District of the Central Region to check the activities of illegal miners (galamseyers).
He was lynched by a mob who took him for an armed robber.
They were provisionally charged with conspiracy to murder and murder.
DSP Amegah yesterday told the court, presided over by Ebenezer Kweku Ansah, that further investigations into the case were at an advanced stage, adding that the police were still on the heels of those at large.
The prosecution said a duplicate docket of the case had been forwarded to the Attorney General’s Department for advice.
He said the police had been very expeditious with the case, irrespective of its complex nature.
Charles Juanah, counsel for the accused, said the defence had no objection to the position of the prosecution, except that there were some human rights issues.
He stated that the prosecution must speed up their investigations for the trial to start in earnest.
Safety
According to Mr Juanah, the defence would shelve their attempt at bail because the accused persons were safer in the hands of the police than being in their homes.
He noted that the case is a serious one for the country, family and the world at large, noting that bail was also the right of his clients.
Counsel said delays in the start of the trial would create problems for the defence, stressing that the whole world would want to know the outcome of the case.
He alleged that he had seen a picture of one of the accused persons supposedly killed.
Sitting continues on August 3.
By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson