Bawku killers; 14 remanded

Fourteen people were yesterday arraigned before the Accra Fast Track High and the Osu District Magistrate court for playing various roles in the Bawku conflict, resulting in the death of people.

The 14, including a juvenile and a police constable, were charged with different counts of conspiracy, murder, possessing firearms and ammunition without lawful authority and dishonestly receiving after they had been arrested on different occasions by a joint military and police task force deployed in Bawku to restore law and order.

Six of the accused persons, namely, Daniel Yeboah, the Police Constable; Nuhu Fuseini, 15; Sumaila Seidu, Issaka Fuseini, Awumbila John Ndego and Alhassan Hamza, were arraigned before the Fast Track High Court charged with possessing firearms without authority, among others.

Apart from Nuhu Fuseini who was remanded at the Osu Juvenile Home, the rest were remanded in police custody.

All the accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charge of possessing firearms and ammunition without lawful authority and were remanded to-reappear on August 4, 2008.

At the Fast Track High Court's sitting, the prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police Mr Patrick Morkeh, prayed the court to remand the accused persons for a month to enable the police to complete investigations into the matter.

Presenting brief facts on the case, Mr Morkeh said Sumaila Seidu was caught by security forces when he was in possession of a locally manufactured pistol loaded with live cartridges around 8.00 p.m. on February 4, 2008, while Nuhu Fuseini was arrested in possession of 16 rounds of ammunition.

According to the prosecution, on May 13, 2008, Daniel Yeboah allegedly stole an AK 47 assault rifle and 30 rounds of ammunition, while Ndego was allegedly caught in possession of two AK 47 assault rifles on June 27, 2008.

Issaka Fuseini and Danie1 Yeboah were charged with dishonestly receiving and possessing firearms and ammunition without lawful authority, while Alhassan Hamza was charged with possessing firearms without lawful authority.

At the Osu District Magistrate's Court, eight of the accused persons, namely, Alhaji Fuseini Abugri, Amadu Abugri, Alidu Abugri, Imoro Salifu, Adamu Salifu, Haruna Ibrahim, Tanim Adam and Adamu Salifu, were charged with various counts of conspiracy and murder.

They all pleaded not guilty to the charges and were remanded by the court to reappear on July 29, 2008.

The prosecutor informed the court that Alhaji Fuseini, Amadu and Alidu Abugri, all siblings, allegedly slit the throats of an 80-year-old man and children at a village in Bawku on June 25, 2008 in retaliation for the death of their relative.

The prosecution said Imoro and Adamu Salifu shot and killed a contractor who was returning from the mosque on May 4, 2008 without any provocation, while Haruna Ibrahim, was accused of ambushing Muniru Adam and chopping off his head in the process on May 5, 2008.

Taniin Adam, a revenue mobiliser, was accused of using an object to kill Yeremin Alhassan, a 53-year-old educationist, on May 13, 2008.

Adamu Salifu was alleged to have vandalised property, killing one person in the process, at a festival in Bawku on December 31, 2007.

The prosecution informed the two courts that other accomplices were on the run, for which reason investigations were ongoing to arrest them.