Murder of late Mfantseman MP: Police scrutinising accused phone calls

A police prosecutor has told the Accra Circuit Court yesterday that phone calls of eight accused, linked to the robbery of Ekow Kwansah-Hayford, the late Member of Parliament (MP) for Mfantseman are being analysed.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Fuseini Yakubu, told the court presided over by Mrs Evelyn Asamoah that prosecution had obtained information on the phone calls from various telecommunication companies.

He also said police were waiting reports on fingerprint of accused and empty shells picked on the crime scene from the police forensic laboratory.

ASP Yakubu asked for two weeks adjournment, pending the outcome of the forensic laboratory examinations.

However, his plea was opposed by Paul Kumi, counsel for accused, who argued that keeping accused in police custody for two weeks would amount to flagrant abuse of their rights.

ASP Yakubu reminded the court of the presumption of innocence of the accused and urged Mrs Asamoah to admit them to bail.

Prior to lawyer Kumi’s opposition for the two-week adjournment, one of the lawyers, Paul Menanci, who held the brief for Martin Kpebu, contended that Alhassan Abubakar, first accused was not on the crime scene.

ASP Yakubu in his response said since alibi (innocence or absence from crime scene) was a form of defence, the police needed further and better particulars such as phone numbers, house address and names of witnesses Abubakar spoke to on the day the incident occurred, to conduct investigation.

Alhassan Abubakar alias Fulani (phone repairer), Nasiru Fudailu, a business man, Alhassan Mahama Yayaha, alias mystical cloud, a resident of Dansoman, Amadu Yakubu, mobile money vendor, Haruna Osmanu, trader, Adams Alhasan, Fuseini Osman, alias Black Smith, and Fred Tetteh, alias Walace, have all been charged with conspiracy to commit crime and robbery.

They all pleaded not guilty to the charges, and ASP Yakubu filed an amended charge sheet with an additional accused, bringing the number of accused to nine.

The ninth accused, one Mohammed and others are said to be on the run.

The court refused the bail applications made by counsel for accused on grounds that the case was still under investigation.

According to the prosecutor, the Mfantsiman legislator and his campaign team were on board a Mitsubishi car on their way home having filed his nomination forms for reelection on October 8, last year.

He said the late MP and his team were stopped by armed robbers upon reaching the crime scene at about 1.00 am.

ASP Yakubu said the robbers fired gunshots at the car, bursting the tyres as the vehicle run into a ditch.

He said the robbers asked the victims to surrender all their belongings, which they obliged.

The court head that the robbers pointed a gun at Stephen Allan, a member of the campaign team, and asked whether he was the MP and he responded in the negative.

ASP Yakubu said Mr Hayford owned up and the robbers pounced on him, collected his Samsung Galaxy 850 mobile phone and asked him to give them money.

He said the MP told the alleged armed robbers that he had used all money on him as he was returning from campaign tour, and pleaded with them to accompany him to his house, but they refused and shot him.