Story: Tim Dzamboe, Ho
Seven persons have been remanded into prison custody by a Ho Magistrate court in connection with their alleged involvement in the bloody clash that occurred in Anloga last Thursday when Regent Togbui Sri III was to be installed as the new Awoamefia.
They are Yao Agbemakpor, John Kwawu Sefogah, Aaron Agbota, Kwawu Galley, Francis Adzrah, Prince Wisdom, and Atsu Afedo. They eighth accused person, Israel Kwabla Amenume died in cells and his body deposited at the Volta Regional Hospital mortuary.
They were charged with “riot with weapon” in accordance with section 199 Act29/60 and murder of section 46 of Act 29/60 without their pleas taken.
The seven accused persons were charged after the police had granted 67 persons an enquiry bail when they arrested them in a swoop at Anloga last Thursday.
Prosecuting, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Mr.Peter Glabu said the accused persons with others at large at Anloga took part in a riot armed with offensive instruments such as cutlasses stones and guns and murdered General Constable Moses Deba.
He therefore requested the court presided over by His Lordship P.W Amedior to remand the accused persons to the enable the police to undertake in depth investigations for more arrests to be made in the case.
According to him it was a cultural festival to be celebrated by the Anlo people adding that a group of policemen were detailed to maintain law and order in the area.
ASP Glabu said at a shrine where some rituals were to be performed at about 8 a.m a group of people including the accused persons calling themselves “ Anlo Youth” and clad in red bands gathered at the forecourt of the shrine amidst drumming and singing of war songs.
He told the court that at appoint in time, the elders of Regent Togbui Sri were about to enter the shrine to perform rituals but the accused persons and others refused them entry thus resulting into a clash.
He said the police intervened and in the process one police officer was shot by the accused persons saying that the accused and others chased the police with stones and seriously injured five others.
ASP Glabu said they also kidnapped and murdered General Constable Deba and took away his uniform and an AK 47 rifle and said two men and a woman also died on the spot during the clash.
Counsel for the accused, Mr Ernest Gaewu, Ho-based lawyer and Alfred Agbesi an Accra based lawyer had earlier argued for a bail for the accused persons.
Mr Gaewu claimed that the police seriously exaggerated the facts on the case adding that there was no evidence connecting them to kidnapping and murdering of the police man and that when and how the three others died was not stated.
He said the first suspect in the case Agbemakpor had a bullet embedded in his left arm and needed prompt medical attention.
On his part Mr Agbesi said the presence of the police at Anloga on November 1 at the alleged cultural festival did not warrant guns with live bullets to be targeted at human beings and that they should have rather gone there with rubber bullets.
He prayed the court to refuse application for remand and grant the accused bail because three more people died at the spot and there was no charge against those who killed them.
Mr Agbesi argued that the mode of arrest was appalling adding that the more time the accused persons were held in custody the more tension would be generated in the Anloga area and that granting them bail will reduce tension.
He also pleaded that they accused should be transferred to a court in the Anlo jurisdiction to enable their relatives visit them frequently.
Mr Amedior, the presiding magistrate however declined the application for bail on the grounds that the case involved murder where the law was explicit on how to deal with such cases.
He said his hands were therefore tight and remanded the accused persons into prison custody to reappear before it on November 22.
Mr Amedior ordered that the accused who had a pellet in his body should be referred to the hospital for medical investigations.
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