A 40-year-old farmer, Nai Kojo Nyame of Ewutu Beraku in the Central Region, who is accused of attempting to murder an ex-police Inspector appeared before a circuit tribunal in Accra on Wednesday.
Nyame pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and was granted 100 million cedis bail with one surety to be justified. The case is rescheduled for January 22, 2001.
Mrs. Elizabeth Anderson Yebuah, who chaired the tribunal, explained that she considered Nyame's age in granting him the bail.
She ordered that the docket should be referred to the Attorney General's Department for advice.
The Tribunal heard that Nyame, also a herbalist, lives in the same town, Ewutu Beraku, with the complainant, Mr Simon Owoo Onomah.
There was a land dispute between Nyame and Opanin Opete Konten, a sub-chief of the town, who is a relative of the complainant.
The prosecution said Mr Onomah gave support in the dispute pending before a court to Opanin Konten at Winneba. As a result, Nyame regarded Mr Onomah as an enemy and planned to get rid of him.
The accused recruited some people, including a witness in the case, to murder the complainant for a fee of 2 million cedis. He, therefore, advanced 500,000 cedis to the abettors and promised to pay the rest later.
According to him, when the witness and his group feigned interest in the plot, Nyame then identified Mr Onomah as the one to be murdered. They however refused to murder Mr Onomah and rather informed him.
The complainant then reported the matter to the Police in Accra and two detectives were detailed to proceed to Ewutu Beraku to investigate.
The detectives, according to the prosecutor, disguised themselves and approached Nyame as having murdered Mr Onomah.
He said Nyame then became happy and gave the two detectives 200,000 cedis cash and 18,000 cedis for drinks and transportation.
Nyame, who did not know that they were detectives, asked them to collect the rest of the money within two days because his secretary was not available to sign a cheque for them, the prosecution said.
Nyame again entreated them to eliminate one Kofi Abram and Kwaku Sankofie, both from the same town, for an attractive fee. Nyame was then arrested. The Police are making further investigations into the case.
