Grave looter grabbed

The Nsawam Circuit Court has remanded a 20-year-old man, who travelled with his friend from Accra to Nsawam for an alleged grave looting operation. The man, Kwesi Nyarko, a steel bender, is being charged for attempting to exhume a body without authority, causing unlawful damage and conspiracy.

The prosecutor, Chief Inspector Joyce Adama, who presented the facts of the case to the court presided over by Justice S. S. Appiah said the suspect, on Thursday, December 12, 2002, travelled from Accra together with an accomplice, Kwame Yesu, who is on the run, to Nsawam. According to Chief Inspector Adama, when the two arrived at the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons Junction at about 11.30 pm, they alighted and went straight to the Methodist Cemetery and started digging the graves.

Chief Inspector Adama said the noise of the digging attracted some people on the main Nsawam-Accra road and they quickly informed other boys around the area who organised themselves into groups and went to the cemetery to find out what was happening.The prosecutor said on reaching a spot in the cemetery, one of the groups saw Kwesi and an accomplice popularly known as Kwame Yesu, busily digging one of the cemented graves.

An alarm was raised and all the members rushed to the spot to assist their colleagues.Chief Inspector Adama said the two suspects, Kwame and Kwesi, took to their heels but they were chased by the volunteers. However, when the volunteers caught up with them, a fight ensued and in the process one of volunteers got injured.Kwame managed to escape but luck eluded Kwesi who was arrested and escorted to the police station where a report was made.

Chief Inspector Adama said at the police station, Kwesi admitted in his caution statement that he went to the cemetery with Kwame who is on the run.When the police visited the cemetery, they found to their dismay that several of the graves had been looted and Kwesi was charged with the offence.Counsel for the suspect, Mr Frank Yankey, prayed the court to grant his client bail but his request was turned down.

According to the counsel, his client was only attending to nature's call in that part of the cemetery when he heard shouts and took to his heels for fear of his life.