Asigri Quinn, a second prosecution witness (PW2) in the trial of Gregory Afoko and one Asabke, has told an Accra High Court, Criminal Division, that the late Upper East Regional Chairman of the new Patriotic Party (NPP), Adams Mahama, mentioned the two individuals as being responsible for his death.
Testifying before the court presided over by Justice Mrs Merley Wood, a Court of Appeal judge sitting as an additional High Court Judge, yesterday that he was a neighbour of the late NPP Chairman, as well as the one who drove him to the hospital that fateful night of the incident.
According to him, the deceased, while driving him (Mahama) and one Zuwera who was accompanying them, confirmed to them that Gregory Afoko and Asabke were the ones who poured acid on him, adding that the same statement was made while on his death bed at the emergency room of the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital.
Mr Quinn, led by Marina Appiah Opare, Chief State Attorney, to give his evidence in chief, stated that the deceased made the statement in the presence of PW1, Tofic, late Adams’ wife and friend, Mariama, with other immediate family members in the emergency ward.
However, during cross-examination, Stephen Sowah Charway, lawyer for Mr Afoko, quizzed the witness that at what time did he drive the deceased to the hospital and how long did it take him to get the deceased from his SSNIT Flats residence to the hospital. The witness, in response, answered that he cannot tell because the road leading to the hospital has a lot of speed ramps, and because his main aim was to save life, he could not calculate the time that he used to travel to the hospital.
The following are excerpts of what transpired in court (Q&A):
Q: Please mention your name to the court?
A: My name is Asigri Quinn.
Q: Where do you live?
A: I live at Bolga SSNIT Affordable Houses.
Q: Where do you work?
A: I work with SSNIT.
Q: What exactly do you do at SSNIT?
A: I am a driver.
Q: Now do you know the accused person herein, Gregory Afoko and Asabke?
A: Yes, my lord, I know accused person, Gregory Afoko. The other one, this is my first time of seeing him; I do not know him.
Q: Do you know the deceased, Adams Mahama?
A: Yes My lord.
Q: How do you know him?
A: Adams Mahama was my neighbour at SSNIT Affordable Houses and he was the Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Q: Do you know one Tofic Murtala?
A. Yes. I got to know Tofic because of this case.
Q: Now tell the court. On May 20, 2015, at about 11:40pm, where were you?
A: I was in my house sleeping and my wife woke me up and told me somebody was at Adams Mahama’s house crying and wailing for help. So I heard the crying and wailing, and I rushed to the scene. I was in boxer shorts. I met Adams Mahama and his wife in the compound of Adams Mahama. Adams Mahama was crying and wailing, and his skin was peeling off and became reddish. Upon seeing me he mentioned my name, ‘Quinn help me and send me to the hospital’, because I was in boxer shorts, I rushed back to my room to wear my trousers and shirt. Upon coming out I met one Thomas and Zuwera with the deceased and his wife. Thomas, upon seeing Adams Mahama’s body, run back to his house. Adam Mahama gave me his car key. It was a bunch of keys. Upon getting closer to the car, I opened the door and I realised that there was heat in the car and the dashboard of the car was melting. The driver’s seat had finished melting and it was left with the metal. The car inside light was on and the panel lights on, with the headlights also on. Upon realising that I couldn’t use his vehicle. I resorted to using my own car. I rushed back to the house to pick my car key. When I came out the deceased’s waist was all burnt. The deceased run naked and followed me to my car. The deceased sat behind my car and Zuwera sat in front. Whilst on our way to the hospital, the deceased started reciting Quran verses and started mentioning names. He mentioned Gregory Afoko and one Asabke and that he came from his construction site and met Gregory Afoko and Asabke. He parked his car and rolled down the glasses to talk to them, before he realised, they poured a substance on him. So when we got to the hospital, he was removed from the car and Zuwera used her cloth to tie the waist of the deceased again.. He was removed from my car and seated and wheeled to the emergency ward with Zuwera. I remained to get an appropriate place to park. By then there was construction work going on at the Regional Hospital. Upon parking, I went to the hospital and met the deceased lying on the bed. The whole body was soaked with water, so I asked Zuwera what happened. She said the doctor had poured drip water on the body. The deceased then gave me his phone to call one Tofic. The deceased phone had a pattern so I couldn’t use it. The doctor who was attending to him gave me his phone. Adam Mahama mentioned Tofic’s number for me. I dialed Tofic’s number and it went through but Tofic didn’t answer. Not quite long after Tofic appeared at the hospital. Adams Mahama, upon seeing Tofic at hospital the got up and sat on the bed. He narrated the same story – that he was coming from the construction site and met Gregory Afoko and Asabke in his house. He rolled down the car glasses and they did this to him. Then he said he has executed this contract at Burkina Faso, which payment has been made and that the money should be given to his wife to take care of the children. He went further and said if he dies they should send him to his home town for burial. He called the wife and the wife came forward, and he repeated the same thing, and that he had some contracts.
Q: Who were present in the room when the deceased mentioned Gregory and Aabke were the persons who poured the substance on him?
A: Myself, Zuwera, Tofic, the doctor and other nurses. The emergency ward was becoming crowded; people were coming in, so the nurses started sacking people to reduce the number of people from the emergency ward. At that time I was to embark on an official trip, so I left the hospital to the house around 1:00am. I was on the official duty at Sandema when a friend of mine called me and told me Adams Mahama is dead.
Prosecution: that would be all for the witness.
Cross-examination by counsel for first accused:
Q: Mr Quinn, how far do you live from the deceased’s house at SSNIT Flats at Bolga?
A: My lord, the distance may be from where I am seated here to where the last people are seated, because after my quarters is next.
Q: So you don’t live in the same block of flats, am I correct?
A: No, we don’t live in the same block at the SSNIT Flats.
Q: How long do you know the deceased?
A: About 15 years before the incident happened.
Q: Mr Quinn, if you can assist the court… so was the deceased on the ground floor or first floor?
A: They are separate apartments. The SSNIT building is not a storey building.
Q: Now you said when you first saw the deceased on that fateful night he was wailing and in great pain, am I correct?
A: Yes my lord.
Q: Where exactly was the deceased when you got to the scene?
A: The deceased was in front of his compound in front of his house with his wife.
Q: And how far did you say the deceased was from his car when you got there?
A: I don’t know figures. The car was parked in his house, from where I am seated to where the jurors are.
Q: Was the deceased’s car the only car parked around?
A: No my lord. The deceased’s car blocked Thomas’ car. The deceased and Thomas shared the same apartment (semi-detached).
Q: As a close neighbour of the deceased, I believe you saw each other frequently?
A: No my Lord.
Q: When was the last time you saw the deceased before the night of May 2015.
A: My Lord. I can’t tell because as at the month SSNIT was embarking on biometric registration and. as a driver. I was trekking a lot and come home late in the night.
Q: Mr Quinn. for all the time you known the deceased he was not living alone with his wife. Am I correct?
A: Deceased was living alone with his wife and children.
Q: I believe the deceased has four children; so by children you mean all four children?
A: My lord, I can’t tell whether the deceased has four children because he might have a child outside, which I won’t know.
Q: So Mr Quinn, you came to the incident when the deceased asked you to accompany him to the hospital, roughly what time did you set off to the hospital?
A: My lord, my aim was to send the deceased to the hospital so I can’t tell the time I sent the deceased to the hospital.
The post It is true Adams Mahama mentioned Afoko, other as his killers -Witness appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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