Crime & Punishment of Sunday, 25 September 2005

Source: GNA

Court remands six stowaways in custody

Aflao, Sept 25, GNA - The plan by six Ghanaian young men to stowaway on a Chinese vessel for greener pastures in the US ended in fiasco when they were caught and put before an Aflao circuit court.

The six, aged between 17 and 24 years and unemployed, were last week handed over to Ghanaian security officials at the Ghana/Togo border at Aflao by their Togolese counterparts.

The crew of a Chinese cargo vessel in Lome handed them over to the Togolese security personnel.

The accused are Alfred Pobee, from Elmina, Albert Nartey, from Tema, Ekow Mike, from Takoradi and Nicholas Ampem, from Elmina. The Rest were Attah Payin, from Agona-Nkwanta, Western Region and Richard Sam from Takoradi.

Their pleas were not taken, and they would be brought again to court on October 14, this year.

Police Chief Inspector Kofi Frimpong told the court that the crew discovered them when the vessel was on its way to the Lome Port from Tema on September 19 en route to the US.

At the Lome Port, the six were handed over to the Togolese security and were subsequently delivered to the Ghanaian security at Aflao.