Court provides ‘new accommodation’ for Appolonia land guard

The leader of an alleged land guard group, Dennis Sodji, has been remanded into police custody by an Accra Circuit Court for participating in prohibited land guard activities, as well as causing unlawful damage to properties in Appolonia and its environs in the Greater Accra Region.

His action, according to the Prosecution, was contrary to section 7 (1) of the Vigilantism and related offences Act 2021 (Act 999) and section 172 of the Criminal Offences Act 1960 (Act 29) respectively.

Inspector Eric Pobee, the Prosecutor, told the court, presided over by Mr Emmanuel Essandoh, that the complainant was a businessman and resides at Tema Community 22 Annex.

He said the accused person, Dennis, is a mason and resident of Kubekrom near Ashaiman. In 2016, the complainant acquired 60 acres of land from Omangeo Company Limited.

Inspector Pobee added that the said land has been registered with the Lands Commission, with Land Title Certificate No. TDA 2237, and that the company had granted portions of the land to individuals for development.

He continued that for some time now, the accused person, who is the alleged leader of a group of land guards, had been harassing the complainant and other developers within the Appolonia enclave.

Inspector Pobee went on that the accused person and his gang had unlawfully caused damages to on-going projects within the area.

On March 26, 2021, a report was made to the police and on April 1, 2021, the accused person was arrested for a similar offence in the same area.

He averred that the police went with the accused to the crime scene, and also proceeded to a single bedroom hijacked by the accused person and his gang.

The court was told that the police found several shovels, pickaxes, barrows and other working tools seized by the accused person and his gang.

According to the Prosecutor, investigations are still ongoing to estimate the extent of the damages caused by the accused and his accomplices. The court after remanding the accused person and adjourned the next hearing to April 21.

In another development, an Accra Circuit Court has been told that a trader, Atta Acheampong, who was stabbed multiple times by his colleague trader, Arthur Kyei Thomas, had been admitted and responding to treatment at the 37 Military Hospital.

According to the Prosecutor, Sergeant Moses Mensah, the incident that led to the complainant,  Acheampong, nearly losing his life as a result of him keeping an amount of  GH¢570.00 in his pocket after work.

He went on to read from the brief facts to the court, presided over by Her Honour Ellen Ofei Ayeh, that while the complainant was sleeping, one Yaw Okyere went and stole the money, and kept GH¢400.00 for himself and gave the remaining GH¢170.00 to the complainant’s brother.

The complainant, the suspected thief, and the accused trade and live at CMB in Accra.

He said after the complainant woke up and realised the following day that his money had been stolen, and while searching for it, his brother told him to suspect Okyere.

The Prosecutor said the complainant then confronted the supposed thief, and this resulted in a misunderstanding between the two.

In the course of the argument, Atta Kyei Thomas, who hails from the same village with Okyere, joined him and verbally abused the complainant. According to the Prosecutor, the complainant and Arthur Kyei Thomas had since not been on good terms.

However, he said, on March 29, 2021, at about 08:30 p.m., the complainant was lying on a bench and suddenly fell on the floor, adding that the accused person started laughing at him.

He added that the complainant then asked him to stop, but he refused and continued to tease him.  This resulted in a fight between them and the accused person reportedly stabbed the complainant twice with a kitchen knife on the chest and stomach.

The accused person, sensing danger, attempted to run away, but was arrested by a witness and sent to the Railways Police Station.  In his caution statement, he admitted the offence and even stated how the incident happened.

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