Trotro driver remanded for stabbing passenger over 50 pesewas

Michael Oppong, a 51-year-old ‘trotro’ driver, has been remanded into Police custody by the Ashaiman Circuit Court for stabbing a passenger with a knife over an additional 50 pesewas lorry fare charge.

The victim, Ketogloh Mawunyegah Edoh, has since been treated for his wounds and discharged from the hospital to await further treatment.

The plea of Oppong, who was charged with causing harm, was not taken and was remanded by the court, presided over by Simon Gaga, to reappear on March 25, 2024.

However, the court will wait for the outcome of a surgery to be conducted on the victim, to ascertain the severity of the harm caused to him, as well as remove an object identified by medics in the stabbed area.

Police Chief Inspector Joyce Nyarko, prosecuting, said the complainant in the case was Dziedzorm Edoh, the wife of the victim, who claimed that on February 5, 2024, at about 2030 hours, the victim alighted from Oppong’s vehicle at Global, a suburb in the Tema West Municipality, after joining it at Adjei-Kojo.

According to the prosecution, a misunderstanding ensued between the victim and the accused person over a 50 pesewas balance, which the accused demanded from the victim after he offered to pay Gh₵ 4.50 pesewas instead of five cedis.

Chief Inspector Nyarko said the two quarreled and during which Oppong took a knife from under his foot carpet at the driver’s side of the vehicle and stabbed the victim with it at his back.

She said some onlookers assisted to disarm the accused person of the knife and rushed the victim to the New Crystal Hospital for treatment.

The prosecution said someone then alerted the complainant at home which was few metres from the scene, who, together with others, handed over the accused person to the Kanewu Police station, where a report was made.

Madam Nyarko said Oppong was re-arrested, and the knife retained as an exhibit, while police proceeded to the said hospital and met the victim on admission, responding to treatment.

Chief Inspector Nyarko said the victim was issued with a police medical report form, which the victim returned after being discharged from the hospital two days after the incident.

She said the police were informed by the medical officer that there was an object in the wound that needed further treatment through surgery.