5 ‘land guards’ arrested at Adjiringanor remanded in police custody by court

Five people arrested by the police for engaging in "land guard" activities at Adjiringanor in Accra have been remanded in police custody by an Accra Circuit Court.

They are to reappear on Tuesday, August 31, 2022 before the Circuit Court presided over by Samuel Bright Acquah.

The accused persons are said to be private security men.

They are Akuribilla Annanfo, Razak Seidu, Abdallah Abdul Fatau, Baah Samuel and Franscis Avegbedo. 

Akuribilla Annanfo and Razak Seidu have been charged with prohibition of activities of land guards, contrary to section 7(7) of the Criminal Offences Act of 1960 (Act 29) and section 7(3) of the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act of Abdallah Abdul Fatau, Baah Samuel and Franscis Avegbedo 2019, Act 999.

Abdallah Abdul Fatau, Baah Samuel and Franscis Avegbedo have been charged with conspiracy to commit crime to wit: Prohibition of activities of land guards contrary to the Criminal Offences Act.

Abdallah Abdul Fatau alone has been charged with possession of military accoutrement without lawful authority, contrary to section 1(A) of NLCR 72 of Act 1967. 

He was found wearing a military pullover.

Facts

In a brief fact presented in court, the prosecutor said the complainant was Benjamin Kwame Danso, who was the General Manager of Top Kings, an estate developing company.

The court heard that somewhere in 1999, another estate developing company, Empire Builders Limited took Top Kings and others to court in relation to a land issue in Adjiringanor near the Trassacco area.

On December 16, 2020, Top Kings and the other defendants won the court case against Empire Builders, the prosecutor, Inspector A.Z. Babangida told the Accra Circuit Court.

The prosecutor said after the court case, one Dr Botwe who is currently at large and being sought for by the police reportedly recruited the accused persons for Empire Builders.

The prosecutor said they were hired to “terrorise” the complainant [Benjamin Kwame Danso] and his workers on the land.

On August 1, 2022, a Police night Patrol team was called in by a night security man and the police arrested Akuribilla Annanfo and Razak Seidu on the land.

Akuribilla Annanfo, according to the prosecutor was in possession of Mossberg pump action gun with 12 rounds of BB cartridges.

During interrogation, the police were told by the two [Akuribilla Annanfo and Razak Seidu] that they were recruited to protect the land.

The prosecutor continued that on August 17, 2022, suspect Dr Botwe recruited Abdallah Abdul Fatau, Baah Samuel and Franscis Avegbedo and some other persons at large, again, reportedly to go and guard the land.

He said while preparing to carry out their activities, the police, based on information dispatched a team to the Trassacco area to arrest them but they all escaped.

On August 24, 2022, the prosecutor said suspect Dr Botwe again recruited the accused persons and accomplices at large to Manet junction to dispatch them to the land of Top Kings.

It was at this point that information got to the police and they were arrested.

The prosecutor said in their caution statement during investigation Abdallah Abdul Fatau admitted they were given a cash amount of Ghc41,000 and a cheque for GHc50,000 to guard the land.

It is based on that, that the accused persons were charged and arraigned, the prosecutor said.

A bail application by the accused persons was turned down.