4 Paddies Fate Hangs Over Murder

The fate of the four persons standing trial over alleged murder of one Thomas Owusu Koduah, a 27-year-old phone dealer in Accra, hangs as prosecutors forward a duplicate docket to the Attorney-General for advice.

They are Emmanuel Hanson, Duke Ashie, Prince Emmanuel – all students – and James Acquaye, cashier.

According to the prosecutor, Inspector Augustine Kingsley Oppong, the group, at Kaneshie, a suburb of Accra, on September 2, 2015 conspired and murdered Koduah.

The plea of the accused persons, charged with conspiracy to murder and murder, had not been taken.

At the hearing of the case yesterday, Inspector Oppong said the prosecution was ready to forward the docket for the necessary action.

He stated that he was informed that the lawyers for the accused persons were not in court because they had filed for bail for their respective clients at the Human Rights Court.

As a result, Inspector Oppong stated that the Kaneshie District Magistrate Court should grant the prosecution an adjournment.

The trial magistrate, Adwoa Akyaama Ofosu, consequently granted the request of the prosecution and adjourned sitting until September, 26, 2015. 

Verbal Assaults
Seconds after the adjournment, some persons believed to be family members of the accused persons, hurled unprintable insults at the reporter.

They claimed the reporter was in their view, 'misinforming' the public in respect of his reportage on the case. 

Juveniles
At the previous hearing, Kwame Asumming, counsel for the accused persons, had argued that his clients were juveniles who ought not to be sent on remand but rather be with their parents.

He claimed the prosecution had brought innocent juveniles to the court for trial, insisting that his clients did not commit the offence.

Inspector Oppong in a quick rebuttal, stated that Mr. Asumming was beating about the bush.

Burial
Meanwhile, DAILY GUIDE has learnt that the late Owusu Koduah is to be buried on October 31, 2015 at Kwaso near Ejisu in the Ashanti Region.

He was allegedly stabbed to death when a group of men attempted to recover GH¢70 from another mobile phone dealer.

In June 2015, Duke purchased an HTC mobile phone from Anthony Badu at the Kaneshie footbridge but returned it the following day, complaining that it was faulty.

As a result, Badu promised to refund the money only if he (Badu) managed to find another buyer for the phone.

Numerous attempts by Duke to collect the money were unsuccessful as Badu kept telling him that he had still not found a buyer.

According to the police, at 4:30 pm on the fateful day, Duke, in the company of four other young men, went back to Anthony Badu and demanded a refund of his money but he (Badu) could not provide the money and promised to pay in a week's time.

Duke left and returned an hour later with another group of men numbering about 10 who started assaulting Badu. The other phone dealers did not take kindly to that and also retaliated.

Scuffle
That resulted in a scuffle between the men and the mobile phone dealers which led to the damage of some mobile phones.

In the ensuing violence, Koduah was allegedly stabbed in the arm by one of the attackers when he tried to retrieve three of his mobile phones which had been confiscated by the group.

He died later at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra.

Duke and the men fled after that, but he was apprehended by some of the mobile phone dealers and some traders in the vicinity and handed over to the Kaneshie police.

The police later arrested three other members of the group.

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By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson