19 on bail over Ohwim-Amanfrom riots

A Kumasi Circuit Court, has granted a GHC10,000.00 bail with one surety each to five persons, who allegedly wielded offensive weapons, in the company of 14 others, conspired to cause riots at Ohwim-Amanfrom in Kumasi.

They are; Stephen Boakye Danso, Ebenezer Koomson, Augustine Koomson, Kofi Ntiamoah and Clement Karry.

The 14 others accused of unlawful assembly, were bailed in the sum of GHC5,000.00 with a surety each.

They are; Emmanuel Aguzey, Akwasi Akyereko, Michael Appiah, Alex Kusi, Kwadwo Duku, Michael Yeboah and Emmanuel Owusu.

Kwame Frimpong, Daniel Duku, Paul Asante, Gabriel Kofi Boakye, Kofi Amankwah, Kwaku Acheampong and Joseph Afrani, are the others.

They all denied the offences and are to go back to court on July 30.

The Court, presided over by Mr John Ekow Mensah however, cautioned that it would withdraw the bail if accused persons breached the peace in the area.

Police Superintendent Emmanuel A. Akunnor, prosecuting told the Court that the complainants are Kwabena Antwi, the head of the Adadie Family at Ohwim-Amanfrom and Nana Nyarko Tawiah III, Queen of Ohwim-Amanfrom, near Kumasi.

Accused persons who are family members of the Adadie family, over suspicions of complainants’ secret intention to sell out a disputed parcel of family lands, which case was before another law Court, had for some time, given verbal threats about their plans to attack complainants anytime they entered the community to perform traditional rites.

This has been reported to the Suame police by complainants a number of times, but on July 14, at about 0930 hours, when the accused persons got wind of complainants’ arrival in the community, the five wielding cutlasses, knives, sticks, and stones massed up with the 14 others at the forecourt of their family house.

Amidst the chanting of war songs, they reportedly dared the complainants to come out and face them, the Court heard.

Complainants called the Suame Police and a deployment of about 20 well-armed policemen were dispatched to the scene where they found accused persons right in the act and arrested as well as seized the weapons before sending them to the Suame Police Station.

They were subsequently arraigned after investigations.

Mr William Kusi, counsel for the accused persons, pleading for bail said his clients did not cause any mayhem but were law abiding citizens who were only preventing the complainants from selling their family lands.