<<Print>>

The Nii Adama Pataku Family of Amasaman Abamman has accused the Accra Regional Police Command of conniving with one Henry Ashilley, a suspected land guard, to maliciously arrest their relative James Laryea for allegedly murdering Nii Tettey Sarbah, the development chief of Ardeyman.

The suspect James Laryea, according to the family, was arrested by the police for refusing to allow some senior police officers of the Amasaman police station and CID Headquarters, who gratuitously acquired their family lands through Henry from developing them at Abamman in the Ga West Municipality.

Alhaji Abdulai Showumi Williams, Head of the Nii Adama Pataku Family, in a statement, challenged the police to produce evidence that implicate their relative in the murder of the development chief.

He said Henry Ashilley, who allegedly identified Mr Laryea as one of the suspects in the murder of the late Ardeyman chief, is a notorious land guard, who was fined by the court for selling their family lands at Abamman.

“Henry Ashilley’s father, Alfred Anum Ashilley, was a senior member of the family even though he was never the head of the family with the authority to sell lands. Henry has been selling the family lands in the name of the father even after his death.

He said based on this, Henry was dragged to court by the family to stop him from further selling lands.

Unknown to the family, Henry Ashilley had gratuitously parted with some of the lands to some senior police officers at Amasaman police station, regional headquarters and CID headquarters.

Alhaji Williams said the family met and gave Mr Laryea the power to safeguard the family’s piece of land situated at Abamman.

Mr Abdulai Showumi Williams said the suspect, with the support of the family, stopped most of the police officers, who acquired the land gratuitously from developing them.

“Some of the said police officers came to the family and pleaded to be allowed to continue with their projects, but the family declined and the same police officers, together with Henry, came to apprehend Mr. Laryea and further accused him of the murder of the Ardeyman chief.

Mr. Laryea is not a native, maternally or paternally of Ardeyman to have functional interest in that matter, and he is not a land guard to be contracted to cause such atrocities. Ardeyman, where the murder took place, is not even close to Abamman or Ayikai Doblo where suspect’s parents hail, he stated.

“Ardeyman and Abamman have no dispute over anything to warrant the involvement in that fight, which took the life of Ardeyman’s development chief.”

The disgruntled head of the Nii Adama Pataku family averred that the innocent man has been detained for no unjustifiable reason.