Suspected kidnappers denied bail
The three persons accused of robbery, assault and kidnapping of the son of a fetish priest and his taxi driver at Okorase, near Koforidua in the Eastern Region, have been remanded in prison custody to reappear on July 8, 2019 by the Koforidua Circuit Court.
The accused are Kwadwo Asare, 22; Felix Yaw Tettey, 33; and Fatawu Lukeman, 27. They were arrested during a rescue operation at Ayisikrom, also in the Eastern Region.
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The three were charged with robbery, kidnapping, assault and causing unlawful damage at the court presided over by Ms Mariam Affoh.
All three pleaded not guilty to the charges, but the court declined a plea for bail from their lawyer.
The two kidnapped persons, Eric Amponsah, 34, son of the traditional priest, and his driver, 26-year-old Enoch Addo, were rescued on Sunday, June 23, 2019, during a special police operation.
Facts
Presenting the facts of the matter, the prosecutor, a State Attorney, Mr Emmanuel Oppare Wiredu, said the accused persons attacked, assaulted, robbed and kidnapped the two persons from the same household on June 22, 2019 at Okorase, near Koforidua.
He said the accused entered the house of the traditional priest, Mr Emmanuel Sarpong, wielding machetes, axes and other unfamiliar offensive weapons on board an H10O mini-bus and attacked the household.
The accused persons, he narrated, broke into the complainant’s room and made away with his 42-inch flat screen television set worth GH¢1,800, three sound speakers valued at GH¢1,500 and one sound power amplifier valued GH¢800.
He said the suspects damaged the sliding glass door and window of the residence and two wooden doors all valued at GH¢3,550.
The prosecutor added that the accused also made away with an amount of GH¢14,000 and the complainant’s green and yellow coloured taxicab with registration number ER 418 -16.
Demand
Mr Oppare Wiredu said the accused then demanded a ransom of GH¢40,000 from the complainant for the release of the victims.
The accused forced one of the victims, Enoch Addo, to call his brother to send money for his release.
The said brother sent GH¢700 but the accused failed to release Addo after receiving the money.
He said the accused renewed the demand for more ransom from the complainant but reduced it to GH¢37,000.
Background
The Eastern Regional Police Command, the Counter Terrorism Unit and residents of Ayisikrom arrested three out of the eight suspected criminals at Ayisikrom on June 23, 2019.
Police is still on a manhunt for the remaining six kidnappers who managed to escape into the forest.
