Herbalist jailed 5 years for possessing firearm

A Hohoe Circuit Court has sentenced Kofi Frank Adzorgenu, a 24-year-old traditional medicine practitioner (herbalist) to five years imprisonment for possessing firearm without authority.

Adzorgenu, who pleaded guilty to the charge of possessing firearm without authority was sentenced on his own plea.

He however pleaded not guilty to robbery and causing harm and billed to reappear in court on November 5.

His accomplice is at large.

Police Chief Inspector, Mr George Doe, told the Court presided over by Mr Yaw Poku Achampong, that the complainant, Edem Bansah is the Asafoatse of Hohoe-Ahado while Adzorgenu is a known herbalist, resident at Hohoe-Kitikpa.

He said on October 20, this year, at about 2330 hours, the accused persons came to the Hohoe Post Office Square and hired the services of the victim to transport them on his motorbike to Kitikpa and was charged GH?3.00.

He said on reaching the outskirt of Kitikpa, Adzorgenu and his accomplice ordered the victim to stop, which he obliged, and informed him (victim) he was taking delivery of an item before they could continue the journey.

Chief Inspector Doe said when Adzorgenu vanished into the dark, his accomplice struggled with the victim and ordered him to surrender his motorbike or be killed.

He said a struggle ensued between them leading to the accomplice hitting the victim with a metal bar fracturing his right leg.

He said Adzorgenu then emerged wielding a cutlass and inflicted wounds on the victim's head and right arm amidst shouts for help but to no avail.

Mr Doe said the victim’s shouts for help yielded some response drawing people to the scene, who found victim in a coma, lying in a pool of blood and was rushed to the Hohoe Municipal Hospital for treatment.

He said the youth of Kitikpa and other people from Ahado then organised a search for the assailants in the bush and about 200 meters away from the scene, a Haojue escort motor bike with registration number M-19-GW1026 was retrieved and identified as the victim’s motorbike.

He told the court that Adzorgenu, who joined the search party was arrested after a witness who spotted him earlier running away from the scene raised an alarm.

He said when a search was conducted on him; the youth retrieved one locally manufactured pistol and a live AAA Cartridge and a small phone which he claimed was his.

He said about 1200 hours the police visited the victim at the Hospital, where he narrated his ordeal and mentioned Adzorgenu and accomplice as his assailants.

He said on October 21, at about 1530 hours an identification parade was held at the hospital, and that the victim identified Adzorgenu, as one of the people who attacked him the previous day at Kitikpa at about 2330 hours.