Afoko trial – Prosecution presents ninth witness

The Prosecution in the case involving Gregory Afoko, accused of murdering the former Upper East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), on Tuesday presented its ninth witness.

The witness Lance Corporal James Kofi Younge is currently stationed at the Documentation and Visa Fraud Office of the CID headquarters Accra, and formally stationed at the Upper East Regional Police Headquarters.

In his evidence in chief he told the court that he knew Hajia Adams and Taufic as brother of Mr Adams, three years prior to the incident. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Thomas Yaw Agbanyo, as the Public Relations Officer of the Upper East Regional Police Headquarters, and Detective Sergeant Benjamin Kusi because they were in the same office at the time, adding that he did not know the other witnesses.

He said he served as a police officer in Bolgatanga from 2013 to 2017, and knows the accused in Bolgatanga as someone dread locks hair style.

He also said he got to know his accomplice, one Asabke Alangdi, who is currently at large while in Bolgatanga through the Bolga Naaba’s festival, a year before the incident, and also knew the deceased Mr Adams as the then Upper East Regional Chairman of the NPP

Lance Corporal Younge said whiles in Bolgatanga his duty was a crime scene photographer.

He told the court that on May 23, 2015, he was asleep in his room at the barracks, when he was called by the Regional Crime Officer Superintendent Alex Frimpong Asamoah at the time to report at the Police Regional Headquarters.

“When I got to the headquarters he was there with other colleagues, including Detective Corporal Francis Frimpong and the driver. He then instructed me to take the service camera and that there has been a crime committed at the Estate flats. I picked up the camera and we proceeded to the deceased house.”

He said over there he saw Mr Adams’ white Toyota pick-up parked in front of the house facing Tamale direction. The driver’s door was opened.

The engine of the car was on the high lights were also on and the inside car lights were also on. There was a chemical suspected to be acid stain on the driver side door. The driver’s seat was also burnt of the chemical.

The witness said he was then instructed by the Crime Officer to take photographs of the scene which he did.

“I took the photographs of the seat of the driver. After that I handed them over to the principal investigator, Detective Chief Inspector Nkrumah.

The witness later identified the pictures in court and tendered them in as evidence. There was no objection by the defence counsel. The pictures included pictures of the driver’s seat, a portion of steering wheel stained with the chemical, and the front passenger seat.

He said at the time they arrived at the scene DSP Agbanyo, and Detective Sergeant Kusi were already in the house.

He said he saw DSP Agbanyo giving the Crime Officer a polythene bag containing the dresses of Mr Adams, and then a white gallon and a plastic cap, but because of the distance he could not hear what he was telling the Crime Officer.

Lance Corporal Younge said the Crime Officer then called him, they boarded his vehicle together with Hajia Adams, DSP Agbanyo and Detective Sergeant Kusi also boarded their car and they all proceeded to the accused’s house to arrest him.

“When we got to his house, we entered the house, but I stayed outside, while the Crime Officer and Detective Corporal Frimpong entered the room.

“They arrested the accused. The two later went inside the house and searched after which I bordered the vehicle with them and Hajia Adams, while the accused was put in DSP Agbanyo and Detective Sergeant Kusi’s vehicle,” he said.

He told the court that they proceeded to Tanzwin, a suburb of Bolgatanga, to get Asabke arrested. When they got there the accused intentionally took them to a different house and finally got to Asabke’s house he had escaped.

The case has been adjourned to May 30th, for further evidence in chief of the witness.

At the previous sitting the case was adjourned after the prosecution prayed the court for a short adjournment to enable him attend a continued legal education for lawyers at the Ghana School of Law.

The prosecution has so far called nine witnesses including Hajia Adams, Madam Issaka, Quinn, Taufic, Dominic, Awafo, Thomas, Benjamin and James. They intend to call six more witnesses.

Afoko, a farmer, is alleged to have killed Mr Mahama on May 20, 2015, and he is being held on the charges of conspiracy to commit crime to wit murder and murder.

He has pleaded not guilty before the Court, which is also composed of a seven-member jury.

Source: GNA  

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