Security man who plotted assault on Akufo-Addo remanded

The Circuit Court in Accra presided over by His Honour Emmanuel Essandoh has adjourned the case in which a private security man Bless Amedegbe, alias Don Dada Bless, 24, has been charged with assault on the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to May 28, 2020.

The accused person was earlier arraigned without a lawyer and remanded into custody to appear in court today.

However, in court today, when he was represented by counsel Yaw Danquah, his lawyer said he had applied for the records of the previous proceeding to be able to represent his client well but he was yet to receive the proceedings.

He subsequently prayed for an adjournment to enable him to get the proceedings and scrutinise it before returning to court.

His Honour Mr Essandoh remanded the accused again to reappear on Thursday, May 28, 2020.

Charges

He has been slapped with two charges of circulating false communication and assault on a public officer contrary to sections 76 (1) of the electronic communication act, 2008 (Act 775) and section 205 (A) of the criminal and other offences act 1960, Act 29, respectively.

Brief facts

The brief facts of the case as presented to the court were that the complainant is an operative of the Bureau of National Communication, National security, while the accused person is a private security guard of VIP Security company and lives at Mamombi.

The prosecutor explained that, during the month of April 2020, when the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had imposed lockdown in the Greater Accra Region and Greater Kumasi to curtail the spread of COVID-19, the accused made a video of himself and circulated same via YouTube and Whatsapp platforms including the General public to defy the President’s Executive Orders.

According to the prosecutor, the accused did so on grounds that the lockdown and social distancing for COVID-19 was a hoax, deliberately made by the President to deceive the public and allow the telecommunications companies to install 5G networks which causes death.

“The accused,” he said “further incited the public to rise up against His Excellency the President and to set his personal house ablaze."

“The accused in his self-made video again incited the public to kill any police officer executing the COVID-19 duties."

He added that, on May 12, 2020, the accused person was tracked and arrested.

He admitted it in his caution statement of having made and circulated misleading video on his Whatsapp and YouTube platforms.

“After investigation, the accused was charged with the offences before the court.”