Seven NPP activists have been remanded in prison custody
At least seven New Patriotic Party (NPP) activists in the Sissala West District of the Upper West Region have been remanded in prison custody for a week.
They face charges of conspiracy to riot and rioting with weapons.
The seven were part of a marauding crowd who besieged the offices of the District Chief Executive of the area, chased him out and locked his office.
The DCE, Mohammed Bako was left with no choice but to seek refuge at the Police station.
The youth accused the DCE of failing to provide them with jobs after working so hard to bring the NPP to power.
They suspected the DCE was rather favoring non-party members in the provision of jobs.
In a seeming culture of impunity by the youth, the NPP activists who are also leaders of the Concerned NPP Youth of Sissala West invaded the office of the DCE and left him running for his dear life.
At least seven of them were arrested and arraigned before court, on Wednesday, November 1, 2017.
They are the Constituency Chairman, Bukari Dramani, Constituency Treasurer, Mahamaudu Forkah, Nassara Coordinator, Walika Iddrisu, Polling Station chairman, Alidu
The rest are Amadu Sumani Zaato, who is a government appointee, Suley Mohammed, Mental Health Nurse and Gbemmie Lukeman who is a midwife.
The suspects were marched to court in handcuffs with few NPP supporters in what was a passive solidarity to the suspects.
There were about 50 armed police personnel around the court with the aim to maintaining law and order.
At a time when the political vigilante groups are bold enough to invade courts and free suspects in a dock, the Sissala West Police will not be taken by surprise.
They came well prepared with riot control equipment in the likely even of anti attacks.
In the courtroom, the police prosecutor Chief Inspector Daniel appealed to the judge, Sydney Braimah to remand the suspects in custody in order for him to conclude with investigations.
He said there were other suspects they were pursuing and needed more time to finish the investigations.
But the Counsel to the suspects rebutted the call for remand insisting the charges levelled against his clients were flimsy.
The judge however, agreed with the call of the prosecution and remanded the suspects to one week in prison custody.
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