THE driver of the taxi, which was allegedly used by armed robbers who robbed the UNIPETROL Filling Station at Legon in Accra on January 14, this year and shot a sales girl dead, has been arraigned before an Accra Circuit Tribunal.
The accused, George Owusu Kusi, 20, is said to have been in possession of two revolvers, 28 live ammunitions and a polythene containing substances suspected to be heroin, at the time of his arrest.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge of possessing firearms without authority.
The tribunal, chaired by Mr Mohammed Nabon, remanded him in prison custody. He will re-appear on February 14, this year.
Superintendent Elizabeth Allandu told the tribunal that Kusi is a taxi driver with registration number GT 4452 Q, based at Somanya and plies within the town.
She said on January 15, 2001, against the advise of the car owner’s wife, Kusi left Somanya for Tudu in Accra to pick six youngmen believed to be armed robbers to Kumasi.
Superintendent Allandu said Kusi and the other persons left Accra at about 4 p.m. and on reaching Nkawkaw, they made a brief stop just to while away the time to enable them to reach Kumasi deep in the night.
According to the prosecutor, on reaching the Asankare Police barrier, Kusi, who was then driving the vehicle, failed to stop even though he was signalled by the policemen on duty at the barrier to stop.
The prosecutor said after Kusi had stopped at the Kumasi end of the barrier, the six men on board managed to escape but he was arrested.
She said when the vehicle was searched, two revolvers, 28 live ammunitions and a polythene bag containing some brown substance suspected to be heroine were found concealed under the seat of the driver.
Superintendent Allandu said Kusi denied knowledge of the said items and told the police that he did not know the men on board the car but mentioned one Kwaku Thomas, alias Eglee and Ayi, all residents of Somanya as the people who arranged the trip for him.
She said the police have intensified their search for the said Thomas and Ayi to assist in investigations.
