Court jails five for attack on resident of Oshuiman

An Accra Circuit Court has convicted five persons, including the acting head of family of the Abbey-We Family at Oshuiman, for causing harm to a resident of the area over land litigation.

The convicts include Jacob Ahele Buabeng, popularly known as Abbeyman, the acting head of family, Ernest Kofi Attoh, Habakkuk Okine, Richard Quartey and Agbeko Azaglo, all residents of Oshuiman, near Oduman, in the Greater Accra Region.
While Buabeng, who was charged with threat of death, was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, Attoh, Okine, Quartey and Asaglo, who were charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit crime and causing harm, were sentenced to 12 months with hard labour in each case to run concurrently.
One other person, identified as David Tettey, was acquitted and discharged on the charge of conspiracy to cause harm.

Bail
The convicts had been on trial since 2011, when they were arrested for allegedly causing harm to a driver identified as Daniel Nii Oshu, a resident of Oshuiman.
They had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The court, presided over by Mr E.M. Esandoh, granted them bail, but after the long trial of about five years they were convicted   last Tuesday and sentenced to serve their term in the Nsawam Medium Security Prison.

Facts of case
Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Tesan said about 11 a.m. on June 30, 2011, Oshu reported to the police with multiple cuts on his head that  he had been attacked by a group of men armed with a pistol, clubs,  machetes and cudgels.
He said the group of about 13 men, who were led by Buabeng, who was wielding a pistol, inflicted wounds on his head and bruises at his back.
According to the prosecutor, Buabeng threatened to shoot the complainant with the pistol while the others beat the complainant  with the offensive weapons.
The court heard that the complainant and the gang belonged to two factions in the area which had been at loggerheads over the change of name of the area from Oshuman to Abbeyman and ownership of the land.
The factional difference, thefore, affected the traditional authority of the area and the sale of land.
Mr Tesan said the prolonged dispute had created enmity between the two factions.
He said on June 30, 2011 Oshu had visited a parcel of land where an estate development project was going on when the group of armed men  attacked him.
After inflicting wounds  on the complainant, he said, they left him to his fate while he was bleeding profusely and was assisted by some good samaritans who served as witnesses in the case.
When the case was reported to the police, he said the complaint was issued with a medical form to enable him to access health care at the Amasaman Government Hospital.