The Accra Fast Track High Court has sentenced to 10 years each in prison two soldiers who have been standing trial for the past nine years over the killing of the Convention People�s Party�s Northern regional Chairman Issa Mobilla.
The suspects Corporal Yaw Appiah and Private Eric Modzaka were on Monday February 18, sentenced by the Court after a 7 member jury had found them guilty of manslaughter.
A third suspect Private Seth Goka was also sentenced in absentia to 20 years.
They were convicted of manslaughter.
The facts of the case are that the accused persons were on duty at the Kamina Barracks at Tamale, in the Northern Region, when the deceased, who was in their custody died.
Issa Mobila had surrendered himself to the police in Tamale, after he got information from his wife that the police were looking for him. The police had on December 9th, 2004, gone to his house to arrest him for suspecting that he had supplied the youth with guns and ammunitions the previous day, to cause mayhem in the heat of political campaigning in the region.
The deceased was then arrested and detained in respect of a gun-firing incidence in the late hours of December 8th, 2004, at Werizehi, a suburb of Tamale.
The police further impounded a BMW car with registration number GR 2772 Q, belonging to the deceased, and conducted a search on him and his residence, but found nothing incriminating.
The court was told that subsequently, the police had information that the youth were going to besiege the police station for the possible release of Issa Mobila, as a result of which, during a meeting of the Regional Security Council, a decision was taken to transfer the then Convention People�s Party (CPP) Regional Chairman to the Military at Kamina Barracks for safekeeping.
The prosecution alleged before the court that the police handed over the deceased at about 3:00 p.m. fit and sound to the Military at Kamina Barracks.
However, Issa Mobilla was taken to the Medical Reception Station (MRS) of the barracks at about 8:00 p.m., with evidence of violent attacks all over his body. He was later pronounced dead.
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