FOUR SUSPECTS allegedly involved in the murder of Abubakar Sadiq, an activist of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Asawase constituency in Kumasi, including the constituency chairman, Isaac Brenya, have been remanded in police custody by the Asokwa magistrate court to reappear on November 24, 2015.
The magistrate, Korkor Owusu Akyaw, refused a bail appeal by Kwame Owusu Sekyere, counsel for two of the suspects, and consequently remanded them on the grounds that murder cases are non-bailable.
The two suspects that Mr Kwame Owusu Sekyere represented were Hajiya Wasila Gariba and Osman Issah aka Million, deputy women’s organiser and youth organiser of the NPP in the Asawase constituency respectively.
Alhassan Issah, the fourth suspect, who was arrested on Monday evening by the police in connection with the gruesome murder of Abubakar Sadiq aka Ogundi, was not represented by a lawyer when the case was called yesterday.
Absent
The constituency chairman, Isaac Brenya, who is alleged to have engaged some men to protect the NPP office, which resulted in a clash between two factions that led to the death of Sadiq, was not in court.
Supt Emmanuel Akunnor, the prosecutor, explained to the media that the police needed to quiz Brenya further in connection with the murder of Ogundi, claiming, “He is still in police custody.”
Case
The prosecutor told the packed court that Ogundi was allegedly stabbed to death by one Mohammed Duna, still at large, when some young men engaged by Isaac Brenya were chasing him (Ogundi).
He further said that the police were still investigating the case and appealed to the court to remand the four suspects in police custody to assist in investigations.
Lawyer Fights
Kwame Owusu Sekyere, who represented Wasila Gariba and Osman Issah, argued that his clients deserved to be bailed because the police had identified the real killer of Ogundi—the suspect currently on the run.
He argued that his clients were not present when Ogundi was stabbed to death, adding that Wasila and Osman would not interfere in the investigations into the matter and so the court should grant them bail.
Mr Owusu Sekyere, who put up a spirited fight for the release of his clients, added that since the police had not finished their investigations, they (police) could not charge his clients for murder.
The lawyer again said that both Osman and Wasila are NPP executives at Asawase who would be required to carry out their party duties, adding that Wasila was also unwell so the two deserved to be bailed.
Ruling
Korkor Owusu Akyaw, after listening attentively to the legal banter between the lawyer and the prosecutor, remanded the suspects in custody to reappear in two weeks’ time.
He said it was too early for the suspects to request for bail, adding that they could seek bail in a superior court since his court could not grant them their bail request.
<<Print>>