Ten people appear before tribunal for stripping Queenmother naked
Cape Coast (Central Region) 18
July 2000
An eight-year-old Primary Two
pupil on Monday stunned a Cape Coast circuit court when she recounted how a
73-year-old farmer repeatedly and brutally defiled her, making her walk with
great difficulty.
The girl, who gave evidence in
camera, told the presiding judge, Mr Justice Tom Bentil, that for sometime she
had to walk with her legs apart since her genital organ had swollen as a result
of her ordeal in the hands of Yaw Amankra from Assin Besease, near Mankessim,
in the Central Region.
She said she could not report
Amankra to her father due to threats from him (Amankra) that she would die if
she exposed him.
Amankra, who pleaded not guilty to
defilement, was remanded in custody to re-appear on Monday, July 24.
Chief Inspector Augustine Amonoo
told the court that Amankra, who lived in the same house with the victim and
her father, was seen standing outside the house holding 200 cedis coin and
beckoning to the victim, who was then playing with her friends in the afternoon
of July 9.
He said the victim left her
friends and followed Amankra into his room but one Madam Adwoa Tinkoranmaa, who
had witnessed the scene, became suspicious and trailed them.
According to Chief Inspector
Amonoo, Madam Tinkoranmaa allegedly saw the accused defiling the victim and
immediately reported the matter to the girl's father, who in turn made a report
to the police.
Upon questioning, the girl revealed
that Amankra had been repeatedly defiling her for sometime and threatened her
never to tell anybody or else she would die.
GRi../
Ten people appear before tribunal for
stripping Queenmother naked.
Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 18 July 2000
Ten persons appeared before a Kumasi circuit Tribunal on Monday for assaulting seven people including Nana Afua Sarpong, Queenmother of Emena, who was stripped naked in the process.
The accused persons belong to factions from Agyiya and Emena opposed to the queenmother.
They are Kofi Nti and Kwame Ali both driver's mates, Kwame Asamoah, labourer, Kwame Boakye, farmer,and Mohammed Sani,bookman.
Others are Augustine Owusu, catechist, Adwoa Adutwumwaa, trader and Akua Afriyie, Mary Saaba, and Baba Musah, all farmers.
Their plea was not taken and they were remanded in prison custody to re-appear on Friday, July 21.
The tribunal presided by Mr Justice V.C. Senoo heard that the accused persons who declared the queenmother destooled went to her palace to eject her.
They, together with other persons who are on the run, armed themselves with cutlasses, iron rods and other dangerous weapons and at about 6 a.m., on Friday, July 14 besieged the palace.
They beat up the complainants stripped the queenmother naked and subjected her to severe torture until she collapsed.
Some people came to her rescue by locking her in a room before reporting the matter to the police.
GRi../