Four granted bail over trespassing

Four persons have been granted a GH¢10,000.00 bail with two sureties each by an Accra Circuit Court over the threat of death and trespass on land they were prohibited from by the Land Commission.

The Court, ordered Matthew Abosti Addie, Peter Abotsi Addie, Emmanuel Amo and George Nuadeke to report to the Krokrobite Police Station every Friday at 1000hours, adding that if bail conditions were not conformed to, the bail would be withdrawn.

It also ordered the sureties to deposit two passport pictures each with the Court’s registry.

The four pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit a crime - threat of death and trespassing.

They will make their next appearance on February 8.

Some of their accomplices are currently at large.

Police Chief Inspector, Martin Adu-Acheampong, told the Court presided over by Mrs Adelaide Abui Keddey, that the accused persons were residents of Tetegu Aplaku, in the Ga South Municipality.

The prosecution said, in 2006, the chiefs and elders of Aplaku community contracted Mr Amos Bisiw, the complainant, to construct a bridge to link the settling communities in the Aplaku – Tetegu area.

He said the agreement was reached between Mr Bisiw and the chiefs, including Nii Kofi Kumah, Nii Tetteh Nartey and the chief of Jamestown Nii Ababio, who was aware that they had no money to pay Mr Bisiw for his services and that they would rather make their payment with land.

Chief Inspector, Adu-Acheampong, said Mr Bisiw, the chiefs and Elders signed the agreement document, which stipulated that 100 plots of land were plotted for payment to Mr Bisiw, and that later on, he and his wife bought extra 20 plots from the chiefs making a total of 120 plots of land.

He said the chiefs and the elders prepared document covering the land for the complainant (Mr Bisiw)and that along the line, the accused persons and others at large who were not a party to the transaction and had been trespassing the land of, which the case was reported to the Property Fraud Unit of the Ghana Police Service.

The prosecution said all parties appeared before the Unit’s office and accused persons were warned by the officer in charge not to go to the land belonging to the complainant.

He said the accused persons adamantly did not adhere to the officer’s instruction, and on November 12, 2020, the accused persons were seen together with others digging a trench on complainant’s land.

Chief Inspector, Adu-Acheampong, said when the complainant approached them with a witness to stop whatever they were doing, the accused persons threatened the complainant, stating that “if we see you on this land again, we will kill you.”

The Court heard that a formal report was made to the police leading to the arrest of Matthew, Peter and Amo, who were granted police enquiry bail to report periodically but they failed and further went to the land to develop it.

The prosecution said on December 12, 2020, at about 0900hours, Nuadeke, who was on the run, was arrested on the land.