Five persons arraigned over alleged unlawful assembly

Five individuals have been arraigned on charges of alleged unlawful assembly. Stephen Baidoo, 57; Abdul Aziz, 39; Kojo Amoako, 35; Frank Asante, 31; and William Teyi, 34, pleaded not guilty to the offense before an Accra Circuit Court.

Additionally, Baidoo faced charges for the unlawful possession and control of narcotic drugs, which he also denied. He was granted bail in the amount of GH¢100,000.00 with three sureties, one of whom must be justified.

Aziz, Amoako, Asante, and Teyi were each granted bail of GH¢50,000.00 with one surety each. The court presided over by Samuel Bright Acquah, ordered them to report to the police every Wednesday and scheduled their next court appearance for July 10, 2024.

The prosecution presented its facts, stating that the complainants were personnel from the Police Headquarters National Operations Directorate, Surveillance Unit, in Accra. The accused, Baidoo and Teyi, were identified as foremen, while Aziz, Amoako, Asante, and Teyi were all drivers residing in Nyamekye, a suburb of Accra.

On May 29, 2024, around 19:00 hours, the complainants received a distress call from an unidentified individual, reporting that a group of young men, suspected to be drug peddlers, had assembled at Nyamekye near Atala Company Limited. They were allegedly smoking and causing a disturbance to the public peace. In response, two teams from the Surveillance Unit, supported by a standby team, proceeded to the location.

Upon arrival at approximately 20:00 hours, the team observed the accused individuals smoking and creating a disturbance, thereby disrupting the peace of nearby residents and others. Consequently, they were apprehended.

The prosecution noted that Baidoo was caught in the act of smoking and was arrested with a partly smoked dried plant material suspected to be a narcotic drug. A subsequent search at the arrest site yielded a dispensary bag filled with a quantity of dried plant material, also suspected to be a narcotic drug.

The court was informed that the suspected narcotic substances would be sent to the Police Forensic Science Laboratory in Accra for analytical examination and a detailed report.