Police Analyses MP ‘Killers’ Contacts
The police have started analysing the mobile phones and contacts of the suspects arrested over the gruesome killing of Ekow Kwansah Hayford, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Mfantseman Constituency in the Central Region last year.
Currently some eight persons are standing trial for their involvement in the alleged killing and the police are also intensifying their search for one other suspect identified as Mohammed, who is at large.
Appearing before a circuit court in Accra yesterday, the prosecution led by ASP Fuseini Yakubu, told the court that the police were awaiting reports from the analysis conducted on exhibits, including a pistol, pellets and bullet shells that were picked from the crime scene.
He told the court that they had received the phone contacts of the accused persons which they were analysing.
ASP Yakubu therefore prayed the court for a two-week adjournment by which time the report would have been ready.
The prosecution’s request did not go down well with the defence lawyers who said the police were unnecessarily “punishing” the accused persons by keeping them in custody.
Paul Kumi, counsel for Fred Tetteh, one of the suspects, argued that if the police were now going to do their “house-keeping” for which they wanted the accused persons to be remanded, then it amounted to “flagrant breach of the freedom of the accused persons.”
The defence lawyers then urged the court to admit the accused persons to bail, saying the accused persons could not interfere with police investigations since the “phone calls” had already been made nothing could change the analysis to be done.
ASP Yakubu then opposed the application for bail, stating that there was a suspect who was at large and the police were following up on some leads which they could not disclose in court.
The court presided over by Evelyn Asamoah denied the application for bail and remanded the accused persons into police custody to reappear on February 8, 2021.
Fresh Alibi
Meanwhile, counsel for Alhassan Abubakar, aka Abu Fulani, who is also a suspect, has filed a notice of alibi.
He could not move the application because the prosecution said he did not attach the addresses and contacts of the witnesses named in the alibi to enable them investigate it.
The court therefore, urged him to provide the prosecution with the addresses and contacts of their witnesses to the application to be moved.
Deadly Incident
The gruesome murder of the late MP occurred on the Abeadze-Dominase-Duadzi-Mankessim road on a Friday night, October 9, 2020, in the constituency in the Central Region, while the MP was returning from a campaign programme after filing his nomination to seek re-election hours earlier ahead of the December 7 general election.
His wife, Ophelia, subsequently replaced the late MP and won the seat for the NPP.
Key Suspects
Apart from Fred Tetteh and Abu Fulani, a phone repairer, those on remand in police custody in connection with the murder include Naziru Fadilu, aka SP, businessman; Alhassan Mahama Yahaya, aka Mystical Cloud, unemployed; Amadu Yakubu, mobile money agent; Haruna Osman, trader; Adam Alhassan, scrap dealer; and Fuseini Osman.
They are facing two counts of conspiracy and robbery to which they all pleaded not guilty and the court remanded them after refusing an application for bail made by their respective lawyers.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak