There was drama at the Accra High Court on Tuesday November 21 when the uncle of Major Maxwell Adam Mahama, accosted defence lawyer in the ongoing trial.
George Bamford, 70, was furious because George Bernard Shaw, counsel for William Baah, one of the 14 accused, asked the seven-member jury to free his client.
It took the intervention of court warrant officers to avoid physical altercation between MrBamford and the lawyer.
When tempers calmed down, the lawyer told Justice Mariama Owusu, a Supreme Court judge, sitting with additional responsibility as High Court judge, that he was scared.
The judge therefore, instructed her personal security guard to escort the lawyer to his car any time he comes to court.
Mr Shaw had told the jury that Major Mahama fired a gun at the accused.
The lawyer also said that his client did not play direct or indirect role in the death of Major Mahama.
14 people, including the Assembly Member of DenkyiraObuasi, William Baah, are standing trial in connection with the death of the military officer.
Others are Bernard Asamoah, also known as Daddy; Kofi Nyarko, alias Abortion; Akwasi Baah, Kwame Tuffour, Joseph Appiah Kubi and Michael Anim.
The rest are Bismark Donkor, John Bosie, Charles Kwaning, Emmanuel Badu, Bismark Abanga and Kwadwo Anim.
They have all pleaded not guilty to murder, abetment to murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
The prosecution said that Major Mahama was the commander of a military detachment stationed at Diaso in the Upper Denkyira West District of the Central Region, to check illegal mining.
The court heard that at 8 a.m on May 29, 2017, Major Mahama, wearing civilian clothes but with his sidearm, left his detachment base for a 20-kilometre jogging.
The prosecution said at 9:25 a.m, the military officer got to the outskirts of Denkyira Obuasi where a number of women were selling foodstuffs by the roadside.
He stopped to interact with the women and even bought some snails, which he left in their custody to be taken on his return from jogging.
The court heard that while Major Mahamawas taking out money from his pocket to pay for the snails, the woman from whom he had bought the snails and a few others saw his sidearm tucked to his waist.
Soon after he left, one of the women telephoned the assembly member for DenkyiraObuasi to report what they had seen.
“Without verifying the information, the assembly member mobilised the accused persons and others, some now at large, to attack the military officer,” the prosecution stated.
It said that the mob met Major Mahama near the Denkyira Obuasi cemetery and without giving him the opportunity to explain and identify himself, “attacked him with implements such as clubs, cement blocks and machetes, killed him and burnt a portion of his body.”
Source: Ghanaian Times
