Crime & Punishment of Thursday, 19 September 2013

Source: Daily Guide

Six land guards in police grips

Six suspected land guards who attacked and held about 13 workers of Elite Kingdom Investment and Consulting Limited hostage for encroaching on their land at Saasabi, near Oyibi, have been arrested by the police.

The suspects are Seth Nortey, 29; Timothy Mensah, 32; George Agyeman, 30; Elvis Tetteh, 24; Simon Tetteh, 50, and Nicholas Mensah, 32.

A search conducted on them revealed four pump action guns, one SMG rifle, two magazines, 62 live ammunitions, 182 live cartridges and 3 machetes.

The suspects are now in the custody of the Accra Regional Police Command

Briefing the media, DCOP Christian Tetteh Yohuno , the Accra Regional Police Commander said , on Tuesday , September 17, 2013 at about 10:30am, Dr Robert Kawo Djamba, Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Elite Kingdom reported to the police that 13 of his workers had been severely brutalized and held hostage by a gang of land guards at Saasabi near Oyibi, Accra.

The land guards numbering 10 according to the reports were also wielding guns and were firing indiscriminately.

Police proceeded to the scene and managed to arrest six of the suspects at the scene.

Suspects were immediately brought to regional police headquarters for interrogations.

A search conducted on them revealed the aforementioned items concealed in a sack and being handled by the six.

While investigating into the matter, it came to light that the suspected land guard earlier reported to Tema police that their parcels of land was being encroached on by workers of Elite Kingdom Investment and Consulting Limited.

The suspects after the report to the police took the law into their own hands and held the workers hostage.

Later, police also chanced on a writ in the custody of suspects issued by the circuit court presided over by E B Plange Brew, the circuit court judge ordering the inspector general of police (IGP) to detail men to the disputed land and to employ all means at their disposal including shoot to kill orders of any person who approaches the land.

Police are still investigating into the matter and suspects would be put to court soon.