An Accra Circuit Court has issued a warrant for the arrest of five people suspected to have engaged in land guard activities at Baatsona in the Greater Accra Region.
The suspects are Dawood Akwasi Agyemang, 32 and a businessman, Adams Agbemasu, 39 and an excavator operator, Godwin Sylvester, 48 – an electrician, Abubakari Sadiq, 35 – private security personnel, and Razak Abdul, 39 – also a private security personnel.
The court, presided over by Samuel Bright Acquah, issued the bench warrant after it was informed by the prosecution, led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Maxwell Oppong, that the suspects failed to appear before the court yesterday.
Mr. Acquah has adjourned the case to March 2, 2023.
The complainant in the case is Ebenezer A. Sowah, who is a businessman and a member of the Amasah Nee Whang Family of Nungua.
According to the prosecuting officer, the complainant’s family has a parcel of land at Baatsona, Spintex, with Land Title Certificate No. TD0038 registered at the Lands Commission.
ASP Oppong stated that when the complainant visited their land recently, he realised that guards had been placed there to prevent the family from accessing it.
According to the prosecutor, investigations conducted by the family revealed that it was Dawood Akwasi Agyemang, a self-acclaimed National Security officer, who had mobilised the land guards to protect the land for his interest.
Therefore, on November 4, 2022, Emmanuel filed a complaint at the Regional Police Command, and on January 20, 2023, Adams and Godwin were arrested on the land.
While the police were effecting the arrest, Dawood Akwasi Agyemang arrived at the site to obstruct them from carrying out their lawful duties, but he was subsequently overpowered.
The court was told that during investigation the complainant submitted documents and other relevant judgement and search reports from the Lands Commission, which affirmed his family’s, Amasah Nee Whang, ownership of the land.
Interestingly, Dawood Akwasi Agyemang, who allegedly claimed that the land belongs to one Rosemary Cudjoe, failed to submit documents but admitted that he personally engaged Adams and Godwin to protect the land.
After investigations, the accused persons were charged with the offences and brought before the court.
10 yam sellers sign bond to be of good behaviour
In an another development, an Accra Magistrate Court has ordered 10 yam sellers at the Agbogbloshie Market to sign a bond to be of good behaviour and not to display their goods for sale on any pathway or avenue of a market.
They are Frank Telekpon, Marboriwe Ntekellama, Awiase Mmolebe, Wisdom Bindiche, Ebenezer Benkom, Yindo Mohammed, Kiki Majaba, Bepa Yayen, Seth Ngmagna and Nakulin Elija.
The yam sellers, who pleaded guilty to the charge of obstructing a public pathway contrary to section 10 of the 2017 AMA Public Markets bye-laws, will in breach of the bond serve a minimum of three months imprisonment with hard labour.
The La Magistrate Court also surcharged the yam sellers to pay an amount of GH¢1,000 to the AMA for the expenses incurred in transporting the yams from the market.
The prosecution, led by the Public Health Department of the AMA, narrated that the yam sellers were part of 20 traders arrested at the Agbogbloshie market on Wednesday, 8 February 2023 by the AMA and the police during an enforcement exercise for displaying their ware for sale on a road and bare floor.
It will be recalled that the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) prior to the order by the court had announced plans to deal decisively with traders who display their goods on the bare floor for sale and at unauthorised places at Agbogbloshie Market.
The Chief Executive of the AMA, Elizabeth Naa Kwatsoe Tawiah Sackey, who made the announcement when she paid an unannounced visit to the market noted that as part of the special operation, traders found selling behind the dwarf wall and along the road, would be arrested and prosecuted.
“We are going to enforce the bye-laws to the latter. Traders selling behind the Agbogbloshie market dwarf wall will not be spared, anyone caught will be arrested, fined or sent to court…The traders have already been educated not to display their foodstuff on the bare ground for sale, but the practice persists. We will enforce the law and ensure that they leave the mandated 3 feet gap between the ground and their foodstuff,” she said.
