Hawa Case Adjourned

The District magistrate court at Madina in the Greater Accra region hearing the case of the renewed threat on the life of the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central, Madam Hawa Yakubu, yesterday adjourned proceedings to April 29, this year, due to the absence of the defendant, Mrs. Henrietta Aggudey.

Madam Yakubu, 'the Iron Lady of Ghana politics' who arrived at the court earlier, despite the untimely change of the court venue from Madina to the Stool Lands Commission in Accra as a result of eviction, was told by the court magistrate, Mrs. Ivy Heward-Mills, to report on April 29, this year for the second hearing to begin after the case was called and it was found that the defendant was absent.

Even though the defendant's lawyer was present, Mrs. Heward-Mills told both Madam Yakubu and the defence counsel to take a new date at which time the accused would be present.

However, a few minutes after the case was adjourned Mrs. Aggudey arrived at the court. Even though this reporter could not verify from her what caused her lateness, a source told Chronicle that it could be due to the sudden change of venue.

Readers would recall that on March 16, this year, Madam Yakubu lodged a complaint of a threat on her life at the Airport police station, a story that Chronicle broke.

Madam Yakubu was said to have been threatened by Mrs. Aggudey on board an Airforce plane, which was returning with some government officials from Navrongo after the final funeral rites of the late MP for Navrongo Central, Hon. John Achuliwor, saying, "we have waged war against her and I have taken the responsibility to kill her."

This incident was reported to have taken place while the plane was airborne around 7:00 p.m.

At the first sitting on April 4, this year, the 49-year-old self-employed and wife of the deputy commissioner of Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), who initially pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against her, later told the court that she indeed issued a threat on the life of Madam Yakubu and, therefore, pleaded with Yakubu to forgive her.