Accra, Dec. 22, GNA - The Queen mother of Awoduah in the Wassa West District, Nana Afua Yaadwo and eight others were on Monday remanded in Police Custody to re-appear on December 30 for conspiracy to commit murder.
The accused persons were: Alhaji Fusani (1st accused) (now at large) a sand contractor at Sukura in Accra, Abdulai Musah a driver ( 2nd), Karimu Musah, a farmer ( 3rd), Nana Yaadwo queen mother, (4th), Nana Kwasi Ankrah, an environmental officer,(5th), Gladys Keegya a linguist, (6th), Alex Sampson a farmer, (7th), Kwaw Kreeku, a farmer,(8th), and Yahaya Moro,(9th), a farmer.
Presenting the facts of the case, prosecuting officer, Assistance Superintendent of Police, P. K. Frimpong said four months ago, Karimu Musah lost the father in law at Awodua and the 1st and 2nd accused persons accompanied the 3rd accused to the funeral.
At the funeral, the Prosecutor said the 1st and 2nd accused persons had the opportunity to interact with Nana Yaadwo.
He said the Queen mother then intimated her plan to physically eliminate the chief of Awodua Nana Kwabena Angu because, he misappropriates royalties which is paid to him on the stool land. "That, when he is eliminated she and her elders would also enjoy from the royalties," the Prosecutor said.
ASP Frimpong said the Queen mother exchanged mobile phones numbers with the Abdulai Musah and he promised to get people to that job. About three months ago, the Fuseini engaged two macho men together with the 3rd accused and they went to Tarkwa in the attept to assassinate Nana Kwabena Angu.
The Fuseini led them to Tarkwa and contacted the 4th and 5th accused persons who paid 30 million cedis as part payment to the 3rd accused and the macho men to kill Nana Kwabena Angu. The macho men after succeeding in collecting the money disappeared without doing the "job".
The Prosecutor said the Fuseini eager to fulfil his promise approached a Police Officer through a friend to recruit new people for the "job".
He said the Police Officer feigned interest and agreed to recruit men for the exercise. The Police Officer informed his authorities. The Prosecutor told the court that on December 9, 2003, the 1st accused delegated the 3rd accused to send the feigned policemen to Tarkwa and contacted the 4th accused person who accommodated them. During the night the 1st accused dispatched the 2nd accused to Tarkwa to inform the 4th accused that he Alhaji Fuseni had dispatched men to Tarkwa as requested to kill Nana Kwabena Angu.
The 1st accused urged the queen mother to negotiate with the team on the mode of payment.
On December 10, 2003, a Police Monitoring Team was dispatched to Tarkwa.
The Prosecutor said the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th accused persons met the two Policemen and held series of meetings with them with regard to the killing of Nana Kwabena Angu.
At their meeting, the Prosecutor said, the 4th accused gave two photographs of Nana Angu to the Policemen for easy identification and also identified his house to them.
The 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th accused persons urged the policemen to employ any means possible to assassinate Nana Angu.
The Policemen then demanded for an agreed fee of 6o million cedis for the killing of the chief, but the 4th and 5th accused persons told the Police to accomplish their task before the money would be paid. The 4th accused then instructed the 3th accused person to take the Policemen round and to show them the routes of Nana Angu.
The 4th accused person also gave 100,000 cedis as seed money and another 140,000 cedis to the Policemen to buy snap card to refill their mobile phone for easy communications.
He said the Policemen arranged a final meeting with 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th accused persons at the 4th accused persons residence after the Police had been alerted. The Police therefore rush in and rounded them up.
The Prosecutor refuted an assertion by Defence Team of Counsel that it was Nana Angu, who reported for the arrest of the Queen mother. He said the arrest was effected by the Police based on information before the Chief, who was not aware of the attempt to murder him, was informed.
The Prosecutor then requested the Court to grant a month's adjournment to enable the Investigators to complete their work effectively.
But the Judge Mr Williwise Kyeremeh only gave them up December 30 and ordered that the accused persons be remanded in Police custody.
