NPP Youth Death Sentence: I won’t continue with appeal process in Tamale - Lawyer

Lawyer Obiri Boahene, Lead Counsel for the five convicted New Patriotic Party (NPP) youth who were sentenced - one to die by hanging and four others to spend 36 years each in prison - by a Tamale High Court, has vowed not to discontinue his appeal process if the case is heard again in Tamale.

According to him, after the first trial, the Chief Justice ordered that the case be transferred to Bolga due to security reasons, but unfortunately, the prosecution witness did not appear before the High Court and when the judge was about to rule on the case, a second order from nowhere came that the case should be transferred back to Tamale.

A Tamale High Court, presided over by His Lordship Justice L. L. Mensah, on Tuesday, sentenced Yahuza Yakubu to death by hanging.

The court also sentenced four others; Abibu Dagbana, Majeed Alhassan, Alhassan Sayibu and Imoro Gundaana to 36 years imprisonment each.

The decision was taken by a seven-member jury which decided and charged the accused persons for conspiracy to murder.

Yahuza Yakubu was found guilty of murder and conspiracy to murder one Abdul Rashid Mohammed, an alleged NDC activist.

The incident occurred on February 17, 2009, when supporters of the two largest parties in the country clashed in front of the old butchers’ house at the Tamale Central Market after rising tensions boiled over.

Speaking in an interview on Hot FM in Accra, a clearly dissatisfied Lawyer Obiri Boahene said he will be forced not to continue with the intended appeal to seek proper justice if the case is called by the same Tamale High Court where the 5 NPP Youth activists were convicted.

“I’m not prepared to go through the ordeal which I was subjected to during the trial…on some occasions, gun shots were fired while the case was being heard at the Tamale High Court,” he recounted.

Counsel further disclosed that on one occasion during the trial, Yahuza Yakubu was granted bail by the court, but the place was suddenly besieged by incensed youth from the community firing sporadic gun shots behind the courthouse resulting in the court deciding to send him (Yahuza Yakubu) back to jail for his safety.

“I will follow the appeal, but honestly, like the instruction I have received that the appeal will go to Tamale; if this appeal is to go back to Tamale, I will not go. Maybe a different lawyer will take the matter up because what I have gone through as a lawyer for the five convicted persons for the past 4 years, I don’t want to experience it again,” he stressed.