I don’t know which State in America I was traveling to - Akua Donkor tells court

Founder of Ghana Freedom Party (GFP) Akua Donkor, on Tuesday told an Accra Circuit Court that though she was on her way to United States of America when she was robbed at gunpoint, she doesn’t know the exact State she was visiting.

According to her, eventhough she’s unable to name the exact destination, she is prepared to submit her passport and ticket to the courts to verify.

The eccentric farmer cum politician who has been described by some political watchers as comic relieve in Ghanaian politics, made the disclosure while being cross-examined by lawyer Vincent Aikins.

Kasapa Fm’s Daakyehene Ofosu Agyeman reported from the court that when asked what exactly she (Madam Akua Donkor) was going to do in the USA, she revealed that she was travelling to the USA to campaign to Ghanaians there ahead of 2020 elections.

The Judge Aboagye Tando adjourned the case to Thursday, 23RD March, 2017 for the continuation of the cross examination.

Madam Akua Donkor is being cross examined in the case in which she is accusing four persons, including her driver, of robbery.

The accused persons are Yakubu Yusif, trader and Central Regional Chairman of the GFP; Banabas Kayase, driver and secretary of the party; Opoku Agyemang, trader and Abdul Razak Shaibu, a member of the GPRTU taskforce.

Two others, Joe and Nuamah aka Lion, are currently on the run.

Chief Superintendent Duuti Tuaruka, prosecuting, said on December 30, 2016 at Taifa in Accra, the six persons conspired to rob Madam Akua Donkor, the GFP flag bearer for Election 2016.

The prosecutor said the accused persons at about 2:30 am at Sowutuom, a suburb of Accra, robbed Madam Donkor at gunpoint and snatched her travelling bag containing plane ticket, Ghanaian passport, voter ID card, $30,000 and GH¢3,000.

Led in evidence by C/Supt. Tuaruka, Akua Donkor, who opened the prosecution’s case, told the court, presided over by Aboagye Tandoh, that when she was attacked, Shaibu specifically ordered her to surrender the dollars in her possession.

She said it was only Yusif, Kayase and Agyemang who knew she had dollars in her travelling bag.

The witness indicated that on the night of their travel, Agyemang asked her to give $400 to her driver which she initially protested.

Akua explained that she had already given some money to her driver, maintaining that she later gave out the said $400.

Akua Donkor charged the judge to write everything she was saying and initially disagreed to the adjournment of the case until March 16, 2016.

C/Supt. Tuaruka said Yusif and Kayase had information that Akua Donkor had in her possession $30,000 which she intended to travel with.

He said Kayase then agreed with the rest of the accused persons to rob her of that amount, adding that Opoku called her to meet him in his house at Taifa for some discussion.

The prosecutor said that the complainant went to the house of Opoku together with Yusif and Kayase where Kayase demanded that Akua hand over all her car keys or else she would not travel.

“Opoku also demanded that the complainant should hand over all her car keys to him before travelling which she declined, and this brought a misunderstanding between them. Yusif, Kayase and Opoku secretly planned to contract some armed robbers to kill the complainant so that they could share the properties of the complainant, including the cars and the cash she brought to Oppong’s house,” the prosecutor asserted.

C/Supt. Tuaruka said thereafter Yusif and Kayase called Razak on phone to arrange for Joe and Lion to carry out the operation.

The prosecutor said on the said day, Akua together with Yusif and Kayase were on board her vehicle – Mitsubishi Pajero with registration number GT 6028-16 – from Taifa and heading towards the Kotoka International Airport to catch a flight to the United States of America.

“Akua decided to pass home and on reaching Sowutuom immediately after the Agbeve Herbal Clinic area, Opoku called Kayase on phone and asked where they have reached while Razak, Joe and Lion were waiting to execute their agenda,” C/Supt. Tuaruka told the court.

He said the three, armed with guns on board an unregistered motorbike, appeared behind the vehicle, adding that “as soon as Kayase spotted the armed men, he reduced the speed, showing double hazard indicator that the complainant was in the car.”

Kayase, according to the prosecutor, parked the vehicle and the armed men attacked the complainant with guns and demanded that she surrenders the afore-mentioned monies and items, dragged her from the vehicle and escaped.

On 31 December, Razak was arrested when he was called by Yusif to come for his share of the booty.

When Razak was searched, US$4,900 was retrieved from him.

He admitted the offence and mentioned Joe and Nuamah as his accomplices.

He stated that after the operation, they shared all the monies and threw the bag into a nearby bush at Anyaa.

He led the police to retrieve the bag together with a vehicle with registration number GX 2194-14, which he used.