Tema (Greater Accra) 23 June '99

Six suspects in the murder of John Lee Manu, a Customs officer stationed in Tema, were on Tuesday remanded in custody, when they appeared before the Tema Circuit tribunal, chaired by Mr Ringo Cass Azumah.

No charges were preferred against them neither was their plea taken. This is because the tribunal has no jurisdiction to try murder cases, but can only remand them for the Police to complete its investigations.

Four of them were detained after the Police screened 47 people picked up last week in a dawn swoop at Community Seven, where the late Mr Manu was lynched after he had mistaken the car of one Mr John Bentum for his own after drinking at a bar nearby.

The other two, Edward Amuzu, 23, a welder, escaped from Tema after the incident and was arrested at Aflao while Robert Kofi Baiden, alias "Kabila", a 23-year-old casual labourer of the Ghana Textile Printing Company (GTP), was picked up in a Tema-Takoradi bound vehicle at the Tema lorry station last Sunday.

The four are John Mills-Lamptey, alias Nii Ayi, 22, his elder brother Edward Mills-Lamptey, alias Lankwei, a 26-year-old carpenter, Christopher Nii Ayitey Badu, alias Melody, a 24-year-old student and James Atieku, a carpenter.

Two lawyers, Mr Kwaku Kyei and Mr Osafo Buabeng, represented the Mills-Lamptey brothers and Badu while the rest are yet to engage the services of counsel.

Mr Kyei told the tribunal that what happened was a mob action that makes it difficult for the Police to identify those who actually lynched the Customs officer.

He said his clients were victims simply because they live in the area, adding, since there are doubts surrounding the case, the tribunal should grant them bail.

This was, however, turned down by the tribunal.

Mr John Bentum, a retired transport officer of the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO), whose car the mob alleged Lee entered before he was attacked is facing a provisional charge of murder before the same tribunal and will re-appear in court tomorrow, Wednesday June 23.