Farmer appears in court for demolishing school structure

Tepa (Ash.), May 14, GNA - James Kwame Adjei, 71, a farmer at Manfo in the Ahafo-Ano North District of Ashanti, accused of demolishing a wooden structure meant for an Islamic primary school at Manfo, appeared before the Tepa Circuit Court for the second time on Friday. On his first appeared on April 13, Adjei pleaded not guilty and was granted a five million-cedi bail with one surety to be justified justify. He will re-appear on May 25.

The prosecution's case was that on February 26, this year, the Moslem community at Manfo was engaged in communal labour on a wooden structure they were putting up for the local Islamic primary school. The prosecution said Adjei appeared on the plot of land and claimed ownership of the land and asked the Moslems community to stop putting up the structures but they did not stop insisting that they had a site plan and referred him to the paramount chief of Manfo who they alleged allocated the land to them for the project.

The prosecution said the accused remarked that the structure would not remain on the plot of land and the next day when the Moslems went to the plot to continue their work, they saw that the structure has been demolished.

They therefore lodged a complaint with the police who after investigation arrested the suspect and charged him with the offence. During cross-examination, the complainant, Mamudu Zongo, the leader of the Moslem community admitted that there were some orange trees belonging to Adjei on the land. 14 May 06