Court remands small scale miner over alleged kidnapping

A 36-year-old small scale miner who allegedly kidnapped a 27-year-old man has been remanded by an Accra Circuit Court. 

Prince Asante, aka “Alley,” who was charged with kidnapping, had his plea not taken to enable prosecution to conclude investigation.

Mr Adam Abdul Baasit, counsel for the accused, prayed for bail for his client but prosecution opposed it and prayed the Court to remand the accused person to enable him to lead the Police to the alleged accident scene.

The Court presided over by Mr Isaac Addo, declined the application for bail, and remanded the accused person into Police custody.

Accused is expected to make his next appearance on July 4, 2023.

Prosecuting, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Emmanuel Nyamekye, said the complainant was Madam Grace Morgan, a trader.

The prosecution said both the complainant and the accused person, who was also a driver, were residents of Gomoa Fete Kakraba.

It said in 2022, the accused person traveled to Konongo with the complainant’s younger brother Emmanuel Darko aka “Abronuma” (the victim].

The prosecution said the accused person later called the complainant to inform her on their way back, they were involved in a motor accident. resulting in the death of the victim but had since failed to lead the family to the accident scene or even assisted to trace the whereabouts of the deceased’s body.

It said the accused went into hiding and whenever the complainant called him on phone, he rained insults on her.

The prosecution said on March 21, 2023, the complainant reported the matter to the Police Missing Persons Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters and upon intelligence, a team of investigators arrested the accused person on June 18, 2023, at Fete Kakraba.

It said the accused person told the Police in 2022, he traveled with the victim, Mike and Kwame Asante to Kumasi on a galamsey expedition and on their way back, they were on board his Chevrolet salon car driven by his friend Mike.

“That on reaching a section of the road at Fodua they had a motor accident where the victim died on the spot,” the prosecution added.

It said the accused person in his cautioned statement stated that he fell unconscious but was told by one Mike that the body of the deceased was left in the accident vehicle at the scene.

The prosecution said efforts were underway for the accused person to lead police to arrest the said Mike to assist in the ongoing investigations.