There was free-for-all fight at the Adjabeng District Court in Accra on Wednesday between persons suspected to be the family members of deceased Nii Tettey Saban on one hand and 22 accused persons in custody on the other, over the murder of Saban at Ardeyman, near Adjen Kotoku.

The irate young men and women who had besieged the court to witness the hearing of the case threw punches and hurled insults at one another.

The angry persons made use of any object they could chance on for the onslaught until police officers from the Accra Regional Police Command appeared at the scene to arrest obstinate members in order to maintain law and order.

It is however, unclear which of the feuding factions began the fight.

Journalists who had attended the court to cover proceedings were not spared the attacks of the visibly miffed factions.

The reporters as well as their cameramen were issued stern warnings not to film or take shots of the open fight which attracted curious spectators to the hitherto quiet court.

They are Asafoatse Neequaye Kortey aka Cobra, carpenter; Musa Mohammed aka commander, scrap dealer; Rahim Yakubu aka Sulley, cattle Drover; James Laryea, businessman; Michael Akumeh, labourer; Prince Kwesi Boateng, musician and Dzaatse Nii Okai-Kiofio, a retired civil servant.

Others are David Sampah, student; Solomon Attoh, unemployed; Abel Bortey, mason; Abraham Ofori, labourer; Emmanuel Aryee, motor rider; Eunoch Attoh, carpenter and Ezekiel Nii Ayeequaye Tetteh, motor rider.

The rest are Eric Aryeequaye Armah, motor rider; Frank Okine, electronics engineer; Derrick Kwabena Mensah, mason; Prince Okine, trader; Joseph Oblitey Commey, Nathaniel Ayah – both farmers – and Henry Crenstil aka Ajayi, gold smith.

According to the prosecution, the accused persons on June 8, this year, conspired to murder and caused the death of Nii Saban.

It said Nii was reportedly chased and shot to death at close range by the accused persons during traditional rites to lift the annual ban on drumming and noise making.

All the 22 have been slapped with an additional charge of attempted murder of one Kojo Richard and Jonathan Aryeetey.

Cobra is facing another charge of possessing firearms without lawful authority.

Prosecuting, DSP Gregory Yeboah told the court presided over by Isaac Addo, that the prosecution had amended the charge sheet, bringing the total number of suspects to 22, including one Nii Aryee and Roja Annor.

He urged the court to remand the accused persons into police custody while investigations continue.

However, lawyer for the accused persons, G.L. Nii Amponsah, said the court must free his clients because the prosecution’s fact sheet had failed to link his clients to the crime.

He said the prosecution had not said any specific role his clients played in the murder.

The lawyer said the situation where the police arrested accused persons before completing their investigation into cases is unfair to justice.

The pleas of the accused persons have not been taken and have been remanded until July 26.

The accused persons chased Nii Saban, who had reportedly entered the room of one Auntie Yaa Kaah for safety, fired at him, inflicted cutlass wounds on him, carried and dumped him in another room and bolted.

Nii was rushed to the Police Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

A post-mortem examination conducted on the deceased revealed the cause of death as hemorrhagic shock, near traumatic amputation of the left leg and gunshot at close range.