God is my lawyer - Major Mahama’s phone thief
One of the suspected killers of Major Maxwell Adam Mahama, who was said to have stolen the mobile phone of the military officer after his lynching at Denkyira-Obuasi, was yesterday put before the Accra Central District Court.
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The accused person, Kojo Fordjour, during his appearance in court, stated that he had no lawyer but rather, God was his lawyer.
“God is my lawyer and I will say everything,’’ he said.
Fordjour, a driver, was one of the 14 people that were being sought out by the police for their alleged involvement in the lynching of Major Mahama.
His arrest and subsequent appearance in court brings the total number of people currently facing the law for the military officer’s death to 20. This includes the assembly member of Denkyira–Obuasi, William Baah, aka Misky.
Phone thief
The prosecutor, Detective Inspector Simon Apiosornu, told the court that Fordjour was one of the key actors in the lynching of Major Mahama.
He said after the killing of the military officer, Fordjour bolted from Denkyira-Obuasi.
“Intelligence led to the retrieval of Major Mahama’s I-Phone 7 mobile phone from his room in his absence. Subsequent intelligence led to his arrest and he admitted he had in his possession Major Mahama’s mobile phone,’’ he said.
Inspector Apiosornu informed the court that the prosecution would consolidate the charge sheet of Fordjour and that of the other 19 accused currently being prosecuted.
He, therefore, prayed the court to remand the accused.
The court, presided over by Mr Worlanyo Kotoku, remanded Fordjour and adjourned the case to August 3, 2017, the same day the other 19 accused will also appear before the court.
Facts
The facts, as presented by the prosecution, were that Major Mahama was the Commander of a military detachment stationed at Diaso in the Upper Denkyira West District in the Central Region to check illegal mining activities.
At 8 a.m. on May 29, 2017, Major Mahama, wearing civilian clothes but with his sidearm, left his detachment base for a 20-kilometre jogging.
At 9:25 a.m., the military officer got to the outskirts of Denkyira Obuasi, where a number of women were selling foodstuffs by the roadside.
He stopped to interact with the women and even bought some snails, which he left in their custody to be taken upon his return from jogging.
While he was taking out money from his pocket to pay for the snails, the woman from whom he had bought the snails and a few others saw Major Mahama’s sidearm tucked to his waist.
Soon after he left, one of the women telephoned the assembly member for Denkyira Obuasi to report what they had seen.
“Without verifying the information, the assembly member mobilised the accused persons and others, some now at large, to attack the military officer,’’ the prosecution said.
It added that the mob met Major Mahama near the Denkyira Obuasi cemetery and, without giving him the opportunity to explain and identify himself, “attacked him with implements such as clubs, cement blocks and machetes, killed him and burnt a portion of his body”.