‘Delta Force’ storms court to free suspects

There was drama at the KMA Circuit Court as members of a vigilante group, reportedly aligned to the governing party, stormed the courtroom to free their colleagues, who have been ordered to be held in prison custody.
       
Mrs. Mary M.E. Nsenkyire, the presiding judge, had remanded 12 persons suspected to belong to the group, calling itself,  “the Delta Force”, arrested over the alleged assault of the Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator into prison for two weeks, when their colleagues struck.
     
For close to about 10 minutes, there was total confusion as the unarmed police officers present, struggled to evacuate the judge from the courtroom to safety.
     
Journalists covering the case and litigants had to run for cover.
     
The strongly built men insulted and threatened everybody and by the time police reinforcements arrived, they were gone with all the accused persons.
    
The accused – Kwadwo Fosu, Awal Sadat, Abubakar Sadik, Jamel Issak, Hamza Mohammed, Saliu Issahaku, Akwasi Owusu, Kwabena Owusu, Kofi Kyei, Agya Boadu, Saliu Yussif and Kwaku Awotwe, had earlier pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy, assault, causing unlawful damage and preventing public officer from performing his duty.
     
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Okyere Darko told the court that the accused together with eight others on the run, attacked the Regional Security Coordinator, Mr. George Adjei, at his office on March 24.
     
They forcibly threw him out and destroyed property costing about GH¢50,000.00
     
These, the prosecution said included windows, doors, office equipment and stationery.
     
The plea by the counsel, Mr. Felix Osei Bonsu, with the court to grant bail to his clients was rejected.
     
He had argued that the accused persons voluntarily reported themselves to the police and had been on police enquiry bail, which they did not jump.
     
Again, they had fixed places of abode and there were also people of substance, ready to stand as sureties for them and to produce them at any time
     
Mr. Osei Bonsu contended that because the prosecution had finished their investigation into the case, there was also nothing to interfere with.
     
The court was, however, unconvinced and ordered that they should be held in prison to reappear on April 20.

Source: GNA