Seven remanded into BNI cells for possessing illegal firearms

An Accra Circuit Court has remanded seven persons into BNI cells for allegedly possessing firearms without permit contrary to Section 192 (1) of the Criminal Offences Act of 1960 (Act 29).

They have, therefore, been scheduled to reappear on January 19, 2016.

The accused are Issah Suale, mason, Mahama Saani Muftawu, trader, Mohammed Alhassan, Alhassan Abdul-Dayan, Abdulai Ibrahim Wumpini, Umar Ibrahim Alhassan and Andani Mohammed Taufiq.

One other person, Iddrisu Ibrahim, a teacher, is currently at large.

The seven were denied bail by the Court despite a passionate appeal from their Counsel, Alex Mante.

Mr. Mante had argued that the charges brought against his clients were bailable but the presiding Judge, His Honour, Aboagye Tandoh, did not reason with him.

Issah Suale, Mahama Saani Muftawu and Iddrisu Ibrahim were accused of possessing two AK 47 assault rifles on the eve of Christmas last year without lawful excuse at Dzantong-Daboise near Salaga.

The three were also accused of coming together for the purpose of military training or exercise in military weapon handling without the permission of the President of the land or official authorized by law to give such permission.

On the other hand, Mohammed Alhassan, nurse, Alhassan Abdul-Dayan, teacher, Abdulai Ibrahim Wumpini, auto mechanic, Umar Ibrahim Alhassan, auto mechanic, and Andani Mohamed Toufiq, teacher, were accused of “acting in a manner purposed to encourage Issah Suale, Mahama Saani Muftawu and Iddrisu Ibrahim in possession of firearms without lawful excuse”.

According to the Prosecuting Inspector of Police, the accused person except Alhassan Abdul-Dayan, who is a teacher-student of the Valley View University College – Techiman Campus, are member of Tabligh brothers, an international mobile preacher’s wing of Sunni Muslims.

He told the Court that on December 24, 2015, Issah Suale, Mahama Saani Muftawu, and Iddrisu Ibrahim arrived at Dzantong-Daboise village near Salaga on two motorbikes with a package tied on one of the bikes.

According to him, the youth within the community suspecting them of sakawa ritual murderers looking for a place to bury the corpse of a murdered person, accosted them and handed them over to the Police.

The youth, he said, arrested Issah Suale and Mahama Saani Muftawu while Iddrisu Ibrahim escaped. He said upon a search on them, two AK 47 assault rifles were found to be the content of their package.

“No sooner thereafter, Mohammed Alhassan, Alhassan Abdul-Dayan, Abdulai Ibrahim Wumpini, Umar Ibrahim Alhassan and Andani Mohammed Taufiq, in turns surfaced within the community to rescue those arrested persons as their loyals and were also arrested”.

“On a search in their respective abodes, sixteen spent AK 47 ammunition shells were found concealed in a bag in the room of the Umar Ibrahim Alhassan. In that of Mohammed Alhassan, a Toshiba laptop computer found to contain videos and documentaries of Islamic militants’ activities was recovered. In their caution statements to the Police, the Issah Suale and Mahama Saani Muftawu intimated that together with Iddrisu Ibrahim, they went to the community of Dzantong-Daboise to locate a quite, secured and safe environment to practice the firing of the weapons”, he noted.

He told the court that investigations are still ongoing and would be briefing it accordingly.