Farmers charged with kidnapping
Farmers charged with kidnapping
Tema
(Greater Accra Region) 6 April 2000
The
Tema Circuit Tribunal on Tuesday remanded 22 men, mostly farmers, in custody
for allegedly assaulting and kidnapping a farmer at Asutsuare in the Dangme
West District.
Nine
women who were jointly charged with them were granted bail in the sum of five
million cedis each with a surety and would reappear on April 11.
All
the 31 accused persons pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping, conspiracy
to steal and causing harm.
ASP
Michael Yirenkyi, told the tribunal chaired by Mr. R. C. Azumah that a dispute
over some government irrigated lands at Asutsuare has created two factions in
the township with one led by Mr Michael Vadis Teye Mumo, an Assemblyman at
Asutsuare and the other by Mr Albert Frimpong.
He
said following information that reached the Police Headquarters in Accra on
March 28, about the insecurity in the area, a detachment of Policemen was
dispatched to Asutsuare in the early hours of the day and Mr Mumo was arrested
and sent to Accra.
ASP
Yirenkyi said when word reached Mumo's supporters at about 06:00 hours about his
arrest, the accused persons and others at large, armed with dangerous weapons
including cutlasses, sticks and other missiles, marched to the house of Mr
Frimpong, who was them in bed with his wife.
He
said they forced the door to his room opened vandalised his room, got hold of
him, stripped him naked and paraded him in the streets of Asutsuare. While
being beaten, some of the women urinated into cans and poured it on
him.
The
accused persons then tied Mr Frimpong and put him in a pick-up vehicle with registration
number ER 1748 G and drove off towards Algesi, near Battor with the intention
to kill him.
The
prosecutor said on reaching Volivo on their way to Algesi, they saw that some
of the local people, led by the Assemblyman in the area, who had been informed
about the maltreatment of Mr Frimpong, had mounted a roadblock.
The
kidnappers were forced to stop and the people of Volivo saw Mr Frimpong tied up
in the pick-up and being tortured.
He
said the Volivo Assemblyman and his people tried to persuade the accused
persons to free Mr Frimpong but they resisted and this resulted in a
confrontation and Mr Frimpong was freed.
Mr.
Frimpong, who was then in critical condition, was rushed to the Police Hospital
in Accra where he is on admission. ASP Yirenkyi said the Police sent
reinforcement and rounded up the accused persons.
GRi…/