National Security Officer held for murder of NPP Chairman

A National Security Officer, Wahab Nakpah, has been arrested over the murder of Dome Kwabenya Constituency Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Patrick Opoku Baah after robbing him at his residence in Taifa in 2009.

Alhaji Martey Tei Korley, aka Mohammed aka Commando, the main architect, who was in court with Nakpah have been accused of robbing the deceased of jewellery, single barrel gun, cash of Ghc3,500 cedis and a mobile phone.

They also robbed the deceased’s visitor Claus Timman, a German of his mobile phone, Ghc1,000 cedis and 3,500 Euros after shooting him (Timman).

Earlier, Korley was arraigned on charges of murder and possession of narcotic drugs.

However, when the case was called today, prosecuting Chief Superintendent of Police Duuti Tuaruka withdrew the charge sheet involving Korley and substituted it with another.

In the new charge sheet, Korley and Nakpah were jointly held for conspiracy to commit crime, two counts of Robbery and Murder.

Korley was facing an additional charge of possessing narcotic drugs without authority.

They have pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the court presided over by Mr Francis Obiri has remanded them into prison custody to reappear on January 27.

The court has denied a bail application put in by counsels, Mr Kofi Bonney and Mr Jah Josiah who represented them.

Meanwhile, a duplicate docket has been forwarded to the Attorney General’s office for advice.

The case of prosecution was that the complainant was the deceased’s son who lived with the father (the deceased) in the same house at Taifa in Accra. The accused persons reside at Nima in Accra.

On June 16, 2009, the deceased received a friend, one Claus Timman, a German in his house. On June 18, 2009 at about 1:00am three armed men attacked Patrick Opoku Baah, now deceased and his wife in their bedroom and robbed them of their jewellery, mobile phone and cash in the sum of Ghc1,000 cedis and 3,500 Euros.

Prosecution said as the robbers were about to leave the room, the deceased tried to pick his pump action gun and the robbers shot at him three times and he fell on his bed.

According to prosecution, the robbers took along the gun and went into the next room and attacked and shot Claus Timman and bolted with his cash of Ghc1,000 cedis and 3,500 Euros and a Nokia Mobile phone.

Mr Baah and Timman were rushed to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital but Mr Baah was pronounced dead. Timman who was however treated and discharged, left for Germany three days later.

Chief Supt. Tuaruka said the Police intensified their investigations and Korley was heard telling people on November 16, last year that he was one of the people behind the killing of Mr Baah on June 18, 2009.

Prosecution said Korley described himself as a contract killer. Unknown to Korley, his conversation was recorded and forwarded to the Police by a witness.

In the said conversation, Nakpah and others were mentioned as accomplices.

Korley was therefore arrested on November 17, last year and when he was searched a wrapper of dried leaves suspected to be cannabis was found in his pocket.

Prosecution said efforts were being made to apprehend the rest of the accomplices