Adams Mahama's fugitive 'killer' arrested

Ghana’s security agencies in collaboration with Interpol have arrested the second fugitive suspect in the murder of Mr Adams Mahama, a former Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Upper East Region.

Ghana’s Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, who addressed the press on Monday, 28 January 2019, said: “The fugitive Asabke Alangde was arrested in Ivory Coast after over a year of surveillance and search during which period he moved camp from Burkina Faso to Ivory Coast”.

Mr Asabke was the second person believed to have conspired with the first suspect, Mr Gregory Afoko, to kill Mr Mahama on 20 May 2015.

Mr Mahama was doused in acid in front of his home in the regional capital Bolgatanga.

Mr Alangde fled the Ghanaian jurisdiction in the days after the murder and has been on the run ever since.

The other suspect, Mr Afoko, was, however, apprehended by the police and has been on trial since. The case is being tried by Justice L. Mensah sitting as an additional High Court Judge and has been adjourned to February 2019 for the lawyers to address the Jury.

While this trial has been ongoing, consistent efforts were underway to apprehend the fugitive, Alangde. He was arrested on Friday, 25 January 2019 with the assistance of Interpol.

Mr Nkrumah said the recent arrest of Asabke Alangde necessitated the filing of a nolle prosequi in respect of the ongoing trial in the case of the Republic V. Gregory Afoko. This was done with the objective of discontinuing the initial trial to enable the two accused persons to be tried together to best serve the interest of justice.

He revealed that committal proceedings for the two accused persons will commence shortly, for them to stand trial as soon as possible.

Mr Nkrumah added that the state, additionally, intends to pray the Chief Justice to assign a dedicated judge to the case so it can be tried quickly, considering the background of the matter.

“The government assures all Ghanaians that it will not relent on any efforts to bring the perpetrators of crimes within this jurisdiction to book,” the Information Minister stressed.