The Asokwa District Magistrate Court in Kumasi hearing the case of the murder of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) activist, Saddiq Abubakar, has adjourned the case to December 7, 2015.
A fourth accused person, Baba Musah, who was arrested after the first court hearing, was also charged with murder.
The court granted a plea of Frank Amartey, counsel for the second accused person, Hajia Wasila Gariba, to be remanded in police custody since the accused was asthmatic and needed access to medical care. Earlier, the prosecution withdrew the charges against the first three, consolidated the charges for the four and preferred a charge of murder against them.
The remaining three were remanded into prison custody. The other accused persons are Alhassan Issah and Osman Issah.
The main suspect, Mahamadu also known as Duna, is however still at large. Lawyer Amartey’s pleas for the accused persons to be granted bail was refused.
Ruling
Giving his ruling, the magistrate of the court, Mr K. Owusu-Achiaw, said both the counsel and the prosecution have adduced convincing reasons but “my hands are tied” since the law did not allow bail to be granted in murder cases.
He advised the counsel for the accused persons to put his application before a superior court if they wish to.
The prosecutor, Sergeant Michael Koole, vehemently opposed the bail and insisted that the police had not completed investigation and also the law did not allow bails to be granted in murder cases.
Facts
According to the prosecution, on November 5, 2015, some members of the NPP from across the country, including some of the accused persons, went to the headquarters of the NPP in Accra to demonstrate against the suspension of the party’s National Chairman, Mr Paul Afoko.
He said whiles in Accra, some of the party members at Asawase held a press conference at the party’s constituency office to denounce the demonstration in Accra and locked up the party’s Asawase office.
He added that on November 6, 2015, those who went to the Accra demonstration came to Kumasi and opened the party’s Asawase office which led to some altercation between those who went to Accra and the deceased. The accused persons beat the deceased to pulp and stabbed him to death.
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