7 In court over voter registration disturbances

A Circuit Court in Accra last Friday remanded seven persons into police custody for causing disturbances at a voters registration centre.

They are Rashid Tubiga, 23, trader; Usman Abdella, 24, painter; Baba Hamisu, 28, graphic designer; Samir Nuru, 32, footballer; Mamudu Shaibu, 35, barber; Abu Mohammed, 38, mechanic; and Musah Awudu, 40, farmer.

They were charged with two counts of offensive conduct conducive to the breach of the peace, and obstructing police officers from performing their duty.

Facts

Prosecuting, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Evans Kesse told the court that at about 7:20 a.m. on July 7, 2020, the police received information that two men had invaded the E.P. Church voters registration centre in Accra New Town wielding machetes and causing disturbances.

The incident occurred while the voter registration exercise was going on.

Police personnel went to the location, arrested and handcuffed Rashid Tubiga and Osman Abdella, the two men who had invaded the registration centre.

While the police were taking the two persons to the Kotobabi Police Station, five men on board a Nissan pick-up vehicle with registration number GC 3286-19 crossed the police vehicle, attacked the police and forcibly took the two arrested persons away in their vehicle.

Re-arrest

On July 9, 2020, Tubiga and Abdella were re-arrested, and with the help of some community leaders from Accra New Town, the five other persons who attacked the police team and freed Tubiga and Abdella were also arrested from their hideout.

Media reports had earlier indicated that the seven were suspected to be national security operatives, but the facts presented to the court did not corroborate that information.

The court presided over by Ms Sussan Eduful remanded the seven persons into police custody to reappear today, Monday, July 13, 2020.