Ablekuma rival claimants granted bail

Two rival claimants of the Ablekuma Stool, Nii Kwaku Fosu III and Nii Larbi Mensa IV, who were charged with conspiracy to commit crime and rioting, were on Tuesday granted bail by an Accra Circuit Court.

The two rival chiefs and their supporters were on Saturday involved in violent clashes which resulted in the deaths of three people, four others sustaining injuries and the destruction of property running into millions of Ghana cedis.

The court presided over by Mr. Francis Obiri, warned the rival claimants not to commit any further criminal activities within the next six months or would have their bail revoked.

The two accused pleaded not guilty to the charges and were admitted to bail in the sum of GH?20,000 each with two sureties each.

Six other accused people, supporters of the rival claimants, Nii Adjin Kofi, Asafoatse Abeka Abbey, Mustapha Adjin Tetteh, Nii Akwatei Nartey, Ebenezer Aryee and Fatao Mohammed were remanded into prison custody and are to re-appear on September 4, 2012.

Mr. Ward Brew, Counsel for Nii Kwaku Fosu III, Asafoatse Abeka Abbey and Nii Akwatei Nartey, prayed the court to admit his clients to bail since the crime for which they have been charged could be given bail.

Dr Josiah Aryeh, Counsel for Nii Larbi Mensa IV, Nii Adjin Kofi and Ebenezer Aryee, also prayed the court to admit the accused persons to bail saying the facts of the case does not support the charges preferred against the accused persons.

Mr. Obiri, however, granted bail to the two rival chiefs and remanded the six other accused people.

Superintendent Kofi Blagodzi, presenting the facts said on August 25, at about 2.30pm, the Greater Accra Police Command received several distress calls from residents of Ablekuma concerning the indiscriminate firing of guns by the two rival claimants and their followers at Ablekuma.

He said the command quickly dispatched heavily armed Police team led by DSP Osei Agboya to Ablekuma to calm the tension and forestall order.

He said the Police upon reaching Ablekuma went to the palace of Nii Kwaku Fosu III and found two bodies with bullet wounds identified as Wulomo Nii Tetteh Sarfo and Emmanuel Nartey.

Superintendent Blagodzi said the team also saw the destruction of the palace of Nii Kwaku Fosu III and two other vehicles parked in the compound.

He said the Police immediately conveyed four wounded victims to the Police hospital for treatment.

He said the Police upon conducting further search at the palace managed to retrieve sixty-four spent cartridges, one live cartridge and sixteen abandoned motorcycles suspected to belong to the culprits.

Superintendent Blagodzi said investigations into the case revealed that Nii Kwaku Fosu III and Nii Larbi Mensa IV are two rival chiefs all based at Ablekuma, each claiming ownership of the Ablekuma chieftaincy with their respective palaces and their subjects including Nii Adjin Kofi, Asafoatse Abeka Abbey, Mustapha Adjin Tetteh, Nii Akwatei Nartey, Ebenezer Aryee and Fatao Mohammed as their respective elders.

He said on August 25, all the accused persons decided to celebrate Homowo festival at Ablekuma at the same time using the same principal town route.

He said further investigation disclosed that Nii Kwaku Fosu III and Nii Larbi Mensa IV knowing the implications of their intended action, respectively hired the services of two armed thugs identified as ‘UN-Boys’ headed by one Nii Ofori based at Sowutuom and ‘Djorn Boys’ headed by one Moses also based at Djorn, to assist them to celebrate the Homowo festival.

Superintendent Blagodzi said on that day, all the accused persons with their respective followers and armed thugs clashed at a spot called Ablekuma junction whilst sprinkling ‘kpokpoi’.

He said Nii Kwaku Fosu III and his followers escaped to their palace but were pursued by the other faction which further led to fierce exchange of gun shots leading to instant death of two persons.

He said one of the injured victims, Aventus Modestus, who was receiving treatment from gunshot died on August 26, at the Police Hospital; his body together with the two others who died earlier have been deposited at the mortuary awaiting autopsy.