NDC supporters granted bail

A circuit court in Sunyani on Friday granted a total bail of 45,000 Ghana cedis with a surety to each of eight NDC supporters who allegedly threatened the life of the campaign manager of the NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Atebubu.

Sulemana Muhammed, George Ohene Asante, Tanko Ibrahim, Samari Abdulai, Hamidu Issa, Mamudu Yussif, Haruna Iddrisu and George Kyere Mensah, pleaded not guilty to charges of threat of death, being on premises for unlawful purposes and using unregistered motor bikes.

They are to reappear before the court on November 5, 2008.

Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Kingsley Baafi told the court presided by Mr Kwame Ohene-Essel that at about 1630 hours on October 8 this year the complainant, a tutor at Atebubu Training College, went to the district office of the Electoral Commission during the display of the voters' register exercise.

He said as soon as the complainant entered the office Sulemana hurled insults at him without any provocation and threatened to kill him during the forthcoming elections.

Chief Inspector Baafi said the complainant left the place and reported the matter to the police.

He said later in the day Sulemana and the other seven accused went to the campus of the Training College riding unregistered motor bikes in search of the complainant, but were arrested by a joint police cum military patrol team.

The case was subsequently transferred to the regional police headquarters in Sunyani for further investigations.

Nana Osei Gyan Ababio, Kyidomhene of Atebubu, who represented the Omanhene of Atebubu in court pleaded with the court to allow an out of court settlement of the case, but the presiding judge asked the chief to seek the consent of the complainant before the court could grant that permission.

The judge ordered the accused to register their motor bikes and those without licenses to acquire them so that their seized motor bikes could be released to them after the out of court settlement.