Gregory Francis Asianab Afoko has finally opened his defense, after almost eight years since his arrest, which is in connection with the alleged murder of the late Upper East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Adams Mahama.
Being led by his defense counsel, Stephen Sowah, to his give evidence-in-chief at the General Jurisdiction of the Accra High Court yesterday, Afoko said he was informed by investigators in the case that his fingerprints did not match the incriminating evidences before the court.
The incriminating evidences were a cup and a gallon that allegedly contained the acid which was used to bath Adams Mahama on May 20, 2015.
Afoko told the court, presided over by Her Ladyship Afua Merley Wood, that the information was released to him by Mr. Nkrumah and William Sedoame, all police officers and witnesses in the case, during a conversation.
He also informed the court that during his arrest, when the police officers conducted a search of his bedroom and a garage in their house in his presence, nothing incriminating was found.
Afoko further testified that after it was discovered that the fingerprints on the incrimination evidences were not his, the police took him to the Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) to be examined.
According to him, the only sore found on him was a burn from the exhaust pipe of his motorbike, which, at the time the two doctors who examined him, wrote in their report that it was almost healed.
According to him, he even informed the investigators at the initial stage that if he be allowed to go home, he will do his little part to assist the police to unravel the truth.
Responding to the charges – conspiracy to murder and murdering of Adams Mahama – leveled against him and Asabke Alangde, he said: “My Lady, it is not true, because I have no quarrel with Adams, and I have not sat for a second to plan with this young man (Asabka)…I have not committed any crime, and I can’t do anything of that sort.”
Lead in evidence by his counsel.
Q. Can you give your full name to the court?
A. My name is Gregory Francis Asianab Afoko?
Q. Where do you live?
A. I live in Bolgatanga.
Q. What work do you do?
A. I’m a farmer.
Q. Do you know the deceased, Adams Mahama?
A. Yes.
Q. How do you know him?
A. I know him because he is my sister’s son, and he was my party’s Chairman.
Q. When you say your party’s Chairman, which party are you referring to?
A. The New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Q. In addition to Asake, you have been charged with conspiring to murder and murdering of Adams Mahama on the 20th May, 2015. What do you have to tell the court in respect of these charges against you?
A. That is not true.
Q. Can you tell the court why that is not true?
A. I have not done that and I can never…
Q. Can you narrate to the court your activities on the 20th of May, 2015?
A. On the 20th of May, 2015, my dad was bedridden and I was the one taking care of my father. I have been with my later father ever since he was bedridden for one year six months.
So ever since he was sick, I stopped going to the farm and I was doing nothing except taking care of my late father. At the same time, we have …he was on medication and anybody who is on medication had the prescription of the doctor. And anyone who is on medication is on devotion, according to time, so every two hours you have to administer medicine…
My lady, I fed my father in the evening around 6:30 thereabouts. Beginning the previous day, members of the party… asked me for party flags so that they can hang the flags at where they used to sit. So after feeding my father, I picked two flags from the house to be given to Asake.
On reaching their family house, I called him and he came out to the street. When I gave him the flags he said no, he is not educated so we should give them to the Secretary, Baba Ayaa (PW4).
My Lady, Asake and Baba Ayaa live about 100 metres apart. By then I was using a motorbike, so he sat behind me. Where Baba Ayaa lives there is a container where they sell drinks called the Lovers Inn.
We parked there and there were some tables there that some people had finished drinking and left. So we sat there and waited for Baba Ayaa to come. While we sat, Asake said he needed a bottle of drink, so I bought a bottle of Guinness for him. Baba Ayaa came and joined us.
And I bought another bottle of beer for Baba Ayaa. The main reason I went there was to hand over the flags to him and returns home. So I handed over the flags to him.
Three of us agreed that the Secretary should inform everyone that the following day there would a youth meeting. When I checked the time it was 7:30. I was left with 30 minutes to get home, because my father would be taking his medicine at 8:00 so I left. I was the only one who administers medicine to him.
When I was about to leave, Asake had not finished the bottle of Guinness and so he said since I came with him I should drop him back at his junction, and so I did. Without wasting time I went home.
When I got home I parked the motor in the hall and locked it with four locks, because I know I was not going out again. When I got to the room and I check my time, it was a minute to 8:00.
I administered the medicine to my father and my dad slept, because I slept with him. He was 97 years old. Because I knew I was not going out, I locked the motor with four locks, and the motor is with the police, and I retired to bed. Around 2 to 3am, I lie close to my father, he tapped me and I heard Inspector Agbenyo mentioning Afoko, Afoko.
And subsequently, I heard my elder brother, by name John, also called. So I went out through the hall gate. Then someone held me by my boxer shorts behind me. They were many of them.
I asked him what I have done. In response he said when we get to the police station he will tell you what you have done.
Q. Now apart from PW12, can you tell the court who these other people were and what happened?
A. They were all policemen except my elder brother, John. And in the family house everybody has his or her room. Since I was with the old man, I sleep in his room. He decided to search the house that very evening. He searched my dad’s room and went to my room. When we got to my room they have put handcuffs on me. In my room I picked one of my smocks to wear, but I couldn’t wear it because of the handcuffs.
The crime officer and his men turned everything virtually upside down in my room… So they said we should go. When we were exiting the room, I could identify some of the policemen, including PW12, DSP Agbenyo.
Q. Before you go on, you just told the court that the crime officer turned everything in the room, what did you mean by that, and what was the outcome of that?
A. They searched the whole room, and at the end they did not find anything and at the end they said we should go.
When we were going, I handed my room keys and the motor key, they were bunch of keys, to the crime officer. I didn’t know it was such a huge case like this, so I told Frempong, one of the policemen, when they release me and I’m coming back I will pass by his office and take them from him.
So in the compound of the house they said they want to search the garage. So I opened the garage. They searched inside.
Q. You said they searched inside the garage. Can you tell the court the outcome of the search?
A. My father’s vehicle was parked inside. Before then, the oil of the vehicle had been changed so the dirty oil was in a gallon. So they poured some of the oil down and they said this is dirty oil.
All this time Tofic Muntala (PW1) was with them. From there, they said we should proceed to Asake’s house. I was kept in one of the vehicles and Tofic was also in another one.
They took the lead and we all followed them in a convoy. On reaching Asake’s family house, we discovered…I was in the vehicle and some of the policemen went into his house. They all came back with an old man and they said I should ask the old man where Asake was.
When I asked the old man, he said for the past two days he has not seen him. Then from there, they took me straight to the police cells in Bolgatanga. I just spent an hour in the cell and they came and picked me to Tamale.
Q. Now, it has been stated in this court that on the way from your house to A2 house, you deliberately misled the police to A2’s house. What would you have to say to that?
A. My Lady, it is not true. Where the family is that is where I took them. It is a big house.
Q. You have also stated that in the police cells in Bolgatanga you were transferred to Tamale that very morning. Can you tell the court what happened in Tamale?
A. I spent two nights in Tamale cells, when one Charles Blay (PW7) came and took my statement.
Q. Is he a civillian or a police officer?
A. He is a police officer.
Q. Do you know his rank?
A. No.
Before he took my statement he said I should write and I said I can’t see; he should do the writing for me, because I needed glasses. After he finished writing, he read over it and showed the report to me, which I signed.
So he returned me back into the cells. When I got into the cells another team of policemen came.
Q. Who were they?
A. They said they were from Accra, and one was called Mr. William Sedoame, [and] he was with Inspector Nkrumah and another person.
Q. Mr. Afoko, before we left for the short break you said Mr. Sedoame and Mr. Nkrumah paid you a visit after you had given your statement, can you tell the court who else was in that party and what happened there?
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A. They were four in number; I can only identify two. The two others were a driver and a photographer. They took a photograph of me and invited me to join their vehicle, because we were going somewhere.
Q. Now, the prosecution has tendered into evidence Exhibit P, track suit, which has acid stains in it, which was obtained in your room?
A. My lady, my response is that at the time they searched my room in my presence, they said they didn’t find anything incriminating in the room, so when they came to Tamale and took me along with them to Accra, on reaching the Headquarter they opened the bucket of the pickup and there was a box and in it were some items.
I was told they have taken my raincoat and the deceased’s cloth, a gallon and they were all in a box.
They took them in my presence, and we all went upstairs. They took me to East Legon Police Station. The following morning they came to pick me again and brought me back to the Police Headquarters. And they said they needed my fingerprints.
On the third day, Inspector Nkrumah and Sedoame were conversing, and they told me that the fingerprints they took did not match what was on the gallon and the cup.
Then I suggested to them that they should let me go home, and in my own little way I will help them to unravel the truth. Then they said no, they would have to bring me to court.
Q. In your narration you mentioned the bucket. Can you tell the court what you meant by that?
A. The back of a pickup.
Q. And can you confirm to the court the mode of transportation from Tamale?
A. We used the same pickup. Two were seated in the front and three at the back.
Q. Now I know it is a long time ago…can you confirmed to the court apart from the fingerprints were you taken to another place?
A. The very day they told me the fingerprint was not matching the ones in the cup they took me to Korle-Bu Plastic Surgery room. Then two doctors examined my whole body. Before then there was a sore at this part of my leg from exhaust and it was almost healed. Then the two doctors wrote a report and gave it to the police.
The two doctors said it is an old wound and it is almost healed.
Q. During this trial you have heard Tofic, PW1, Madam Zouwera, PW5, and Asirigri Quii, PW2, and Hajia Zinabu testifying that they heard the deceased mentioning your [name] that you poured the substance on him. What do you have to say to that?
A. My Lady, it is not true, because I have no quarrel with Adams, and I have not sat for a second to plan with this young man.
Q. Apart from the statement you gave at Tamale, please tell the court whether you gave another statement?
A. When we got to Accra here, Inspector Nkrumah gave me [a] plain sheet of paper to write on and I said no, I have already given a statement.
Q. Do you have anything more to tell the court?
A. What I want to say is I have not committed any crime, and I can’t do anything of that sort.
Cross examination by Andrew Vortia, Counsel for A2.
Q. Mr. Afoko, before this incident, how long have you known the A2?
A. About five years. We meet during party activities.
To be continued.
