Two Caged Over NDC Acid Case

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The suspects

THE FIAPRE Circuit Court presided over by Benjamin Yaw Osei yesterday remanded two men suspected to have connived to pour a deadly chemical believed to be acid on the Wenchi Youth Organiser of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Abubakar Mahama.

Kwabena Kyeremeh, 18, a tiles layer in Sunyani, and Francis Awuah aka Bullocks, 24, a second-hand waist belt dealer at Wenchi, who were charged with causing harm and abetment of crime respectively, all pleaded not guilty to the offences.

They were remanded by the court into police custody to re-appear on Monday, when the judge is expected to give his ruling.

Prosecuting, Chief Superintendent Frederick Adjei said about two weeks ago, Francis Awuah called Kwabena Kyeremeh and informed him that an NDC big man had contracted him to look for somebody to do a job for him, asking him whether he was interested.

Chief Supt Adjei said just around the same period, Kwabena Kyeremeh received a phone call from someone who introduced himself as an NDC big man and told him that he wanted to contract him to pour acid on the complainant, the NDC Youth Organiser, at a fee of GH¢1,000 which would be paid after the completion of the job.

The NDC big man (yet to be named) told the prime suspect that he wanted to harm the Youth Organiser because the latter had been insulting prominent members of the NDC.

According to the prosecutor, in pursuance to the discussion, Kwabena Kyeremeh, on March 14, proceeded to Wenchi and met Francis Awuah at a drinking spot, where Awuah handed over two bottles containing a chemical suspected to be acid to Kyeremeh and subsequently booked a room at a hotel for him to pass the night there.

The prosecutor pointed out that in preparation to commit the crime, Kwabena Kyeremeh bought a canned Sprite and poured out the content and replaced it with the acid. On the following day, March 15, Francis Awuah came for Kyeremeh at his hotel room and showed him the complainant’s house and room and left the scene, leaving only Kyeremeh to execute the job.

Kyeremeh went straight to knock the door of the victim and when he came out, Kyeremeh engaged him in conversation and asked him whether he was the NDC youth organiser, to which Abubakar answered in the affirmative.

The police said while having a discussion on the veranda, the complainant’s keys dropped and when he bent to pick them up, Kwabena Kyeremeh poured the liquid substance on him.

Though the victim was experiencing excruciating pain, he raised the alarm and chased Kyeremeh and with the help of some bystanders, Kyeremeh was arrested. When he was handed over to the Wenchi Police, the police found some of the chemicals suspected to be acid on him.

The prosecutor said during police investigations, Kyeremeh mentioned Awuah as the one who got the acid for him to commit the offence.

The police said Kyeremeh also mentioned that he spoke to a man who introduced himself as an NDC big man who instructed him to commit the offence. The police said the exhibit would be sent to the Ghana Standards Board for testing.

In his argument, counsel for Francis Awuah, Williewise, pleaded with the court to grant his client bail because his charge, abetment of crime, was bailable under the laws of the country, saying his client knew nothing about the offence.

According to him, the prime suspect was under pressure at the time of his arrest so he decided to mention so many names including Awuah who he described as a very popular person in Wenchi. He questioned why after one week of their arrest, the said NDC big man had still not been named.

Lawyer Williewise stated that the charges preferred against his client were concocted just to spice up the case and unnecessarily link some political figures to the case.

FROM Fred Tettey Alarti-Amoako, Fiapre

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