Five persons granted GH₵30,000.00 bail for allegedly acting as landguards

Five persons, who allegedly acted as land guards to guard workmen to develop a parcel of land at Dodowa have been granted GH₵30,000.00 bail each by an Accra Circuit Court.

The accused persons are Kingsley Dunoo, aka “Raggae”, a security man, Mohammed Nartey, a vulcanizer, Clement Tetteh, a Borehole operator, Dodzi Atsidutse, a mason and Evans Acheampong, a construction labourer.

All the accused persons who are jointly held for conspiracy to commit crime and prohibition of activities of land guards pleaded not guilty.

The prosecution led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Raymond Ackom initially opposed the grant of bail because the release of the accused persons would interfere with the conduct of further investigation into the matter.

He added that the accused persons would not avail themselves to stand trial when granted bail.

The Court presided over by Mrs Basilia Adjei-Tawiah overruled the objection and admitted the accused persons to GH₵30,000.00 bail with two sureties each to be justified.

The case has been adjourned to June 25, 2024.

The prosecution narrated to the Court that the complainant Fred Kwaku Anning who resides at Weija, Accra was a businesswoman, while the accused persons resided at Mataheko, Afienya and Dodowa.

The prosecution said on March 11, 2024, the complainant, who was the lawful representative for Ages Investment Company Limited petitioned the Director-General/CID on the activities of land guards and the threat of death over a parcel of land measuring 662.15 acres of land situated at Dodowa by some family members of Odoi Kese family of Obosomase.

It said, “The accused persons said that their company is in Court with the Odoi Kese family over the ownership of the land at the High Court, Koforidua.”

The prosecution said on October 7, 2023, the Court granted an interim injunction restraining the Odoi Kese family and their agents from having anything to do with the said land until the final determination of the case.

It said, “Despite the Court orders, the Odoi Kese family resorted to the use of land guards and harassing their grantees amidst gunshots and threatening of innocent people in the area.”

The prosecution said on May 8, 2024, the complainant led Police to the said parcel of land at Dodowa and arrested the accused persons who had then gathered under a tree guarding some workmen to develop the land for one Prophet Kwasi Awoso who was unknown to the Police.

It said Police conducted a search where the accused persons had gathered and retrieved a pump action gun loaded with seven BB live cartridges hidden in the bush.

The prosecution said the accused persons denied knowledge of the weapon and mentioned in their caution statement that one Isaac Ametepe of Wise Ink Investment Limited engaged them to guard the workmen work on the land.

It said preliminary investigations disclosed that the accused persons were among a group of land guards formed to harass prospective buyers of land in the area.