The late Ekow Kwansah Hayford
Telltale evidence, including a pistol, gathered from the scene of the gruesome killing of Ekow Kwansah Hayford, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for the Mfantseman Constituency in the Central Region, had been sent to a forensic laboratory.
Apart from the pistol, other exhibits including pellets and bullet shells expended during the ‘so-called’ robbery incident were sent to the laboratory as part of police investigations.
Chief Inspector Emmanuel Haligah, who held brief for ASP Fuseini Yakubu, told an Accra circuit court yesterday where the suspects were brought that the report of the forensic analysis would enable the police to pursue other angles in the case.
He, therefore, prayed the court for an adjournment as they waited for the report.
Bail Denied
The court presided over by Evelyn Asamoah again denied an application for bail for the accused persons.
Lawyers for the accused persons had renewed their application for bail pending the trial.
The lawyers, in their various submissions, argued that the accused persons had already pleaded not guilty to the charges and were presumed innocent until proven guilty as the law demanded.
They also told the court that the accused persons were not flight risk and would not in any way interfere with police investigations when granted bail.
Prosecutor’s Opposition
Chief Inspector Haligah opposed the application for bail stating that looking at the gravity of the offense the accused persons would interfere with police investigations when granted bail.
He prayed that they be given time to receive the report of the forensic analysis and also finish with their investigations.
The presiding judge after listening to both sides held that considering the nature of case, the accused persons be remanded in police custody until December 30.
Deadly Incident
The gruesome murder of the late MP occurred on the Abeadze-Dominase-Duadzi-Mankessim road on the night of October 9, 2020 in the constituency in the Central Region while the MP was returning from a campaign programme after filing his nomination hours earlier to seek re-election.
Those on remand in police custody include Alhassan Abubakar, aka Abu Fulani, phone repairer; Naziru Fadilu, aka SP, businessman; Alhassan Mahama Yahaya, aka Mystical Cloud, unemployed; Amadu Yakubu, mobile money agent; Haruna Osman, trader; Adam Alhassan, scrap dealer; Fuseini Osman and Fred Tetteh as well as another suspect only identified as Mohammed who is currently at large.
They are facing two counts of conspiracy and robbery to which they all pleaded not guilty and the court remanded them after refusing an application for bail made by their respective lawyers.
Brief Facts
The brief facts of the case as presented by Chief Inspector Frimpong are that, on October 9, 2020 at about 1:00 am, police had information that armed robbers had barricaded a section of the road between Abeaze-Dominase and Duadze on the Mankesim-Assin Fosu highway, robbing commuters of their mobile phones, monies and other valuables.
He said on receipt of the information, police quickly mobilized and proceeded to the scene and narrowly missed the robbers.
He told the court that at the scene, the police saw a number of vehicles parked on the road with some of the victims who had sustained various degrees of gunshot wounds, with one dead.
“The body was later identified as the Member of Parliament for Mfantseman Constituency, Ekow Quansah Hayford. Two of the victims were seriously injured. One Patrick Asante, a Kia truck driver, and Uncle Issah, the late MP’s driver,” the court heard.
The court heard that the robbers surrounded the victims and demanded for all their valuables.
The robbers pointed a gun at Stephen Allan and asked whether he was the MP, and he said no.
“The MP himself owned up, so they pounced on him and collected his Samsung galaxy 850 mobile phone and demanded money. The late MP told the robbers that he had used up all his money as he was returning from campaign tour. He, therefore, pleaded with them to take him to his house to give them money but they refused and shot him, killing him instantly,” the court heard.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak