15 Remanded Over Bugri Crisis in Bawku

Bolgatanga -- Fifteen people have been remanded in prison custody by the Bolgatanga magistrate court for conspiracy to commit murder.

They are also charged with looting, damaging properties, setting 29 houses ablaze and displacing over 400 people at Bugri, a town in the Bawku East district of the Upper East region.

It will be recalled that members of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) clashed at Bugri over loading rights that led to arson, claiming the life of an old woman and damaging properties worth hundreds of millions of cedis recently.

Their plea was not taken and the presiding judge, Mr. Gabriel Ordamey, remanded them to reappear today for hearing.

They are Philip Ambame, Abdulai Bugri, Musah Awudu, Issah Akolobilla, Seidu Abubilola, Osman Musah, Seidu Labilla and Iddrisu Ateega.

The rest are Yakubu Anaaba, Musah Abugri, Seidu Ayong, Ibrahim Abugri, Raman Anaaba, Seidu Anaaba and Ibrahim Anaaba.

According to the prosecutor, Chief Inspector S. A. Adjei, Philip Ambame and Abdulai Bugri led the accuseds, after a small misunderstanding among GPRTU members over loading rights.

He said, the ringleaders (Ambame and Bugri) allegedly bolted away with ?30 million belonging to one Aboyine Awumbilla into hiding, adding that they were later traced by the chief and elders of the town and subsequently arrested and handed over to the police.