Afoko denies killing Alhaji Mahama
Details of statements made to the police by Gregory Afoko, the man accused of killing a former Upper East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Alhaji Adams Mahama, were yesterday revealed at the Accra High Court.
In his caution statement after his arrest, Afoko told the police that he had no hand in the death of Alhaji Adams.
Detective Chief Inspector Charles Blay, one of the police officers who investigated the death of Alhaji Mahama, read and tendered Afoko’s caution statement in as evidence in court.
The caution statement was accepted as evidence after Afoko’s counsel, Mr Osafo Buabeng, inspected it and raised no objection to its authenticity.
Chief Inspector Blay was in court to testify
Afoko’s caution statement
Alhaji Mahama suffered severe bodily injury after a substance suspected to be acid was allegedly poured on him in front of his house in Bolgatanga around 11 p.m. on May 20, 2015. He later died from the injuries at the Bolgatanga General Hospital.
Afoko denied any involvement in the murder and pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Another accused person, Asabke Alangi, is, however, on the run.
Per the caution statement read in court, Afoko told the police that he was a farmer, but had to quit farming in order to take care of his father who was ill.
According to the statement, Afoko said as a result of certain agitations against the then National Chairman of the NPP, Mr Paul Afoko (Afoko’s brother), he, together, with other youth in the party in Bolgatanga, formed a group.
The group, he explained, was to protect officers of the NPP who visited the Upper East Region.
Afoko told the police that on May 20, 2015 (the day Alhaji Mahama was allegedly attacked), he left his house to collect some NPP flags from his brother, David Afoko, who was a constituency chairman of the NPP.
He thereafter went to a drugs store to buy medicine for his father, and then went to a drinking spot and handed over the flags to the other members of the group.
Afterwards, Afoko said, he went home and later went to his sister’s house to charge his two phones because there was a blackout in his area, before returning home to sleep.
Arrest
Afoko’s statement further said police officers stormed his house on May 21,
He was later arrested and on their away, the police informed him that he and Alangi had killed Alhaji Mahama.
“I told them I don’t know anything about the death of Alhaji Mahama,” the caution statement indicated.