Regional News of Thursday, 10 July 2003

Source: GNA

Suspected murderer of student granted bail.

Cape Coast, July 10, GNA - A Magistrate court at Cape Coast, on Thursday granted 50 million cedis bail with two sureties to be justified, to

Kodwo Nkrumah, alias Frederick Andam, a 29 old taxi driver at Cape Coast for his suspected involvement in the murder of a 28 year-old student of the Cape Coast Polytechnic.

In the dock with Nkrumah, who was also ordered to report to the police once in a week, was his alleged accomplice, Kodwo Essim, a vehicle owner, of Brafo Yaw, near Cape Coast, who was sent back into custody.

The pleas of the two men, who first appeared before the court about two weeks ago, have not been taken and would re-appear on Tuesday July 15. Counsel for the two men, Mr. Gustav Addington, had urged the court to grant Nkrumah bail, because his only connection with the case was that he had been seen arguing with the deceased on the day of the incident.

The case for the prosecution is that on June 21 this year, at about 6.45pm, the deceased Kwame Annan, left his house at 'Greenhill,' a suburb of Cape Coast for town, and that about 11.30pm, his parents heard someone shouting, "I'm being killed, I'm being killed". The parents went outside to investigate, but found nobody and therefore retired to bed.

It further alleged that the next morning at about 6.30 am, a friend of Annan, saw his body at the roadside near the Holy Child School junction and notified his parents who made a report to the police, who conveyed the body which had cutlass wounds on it, to the Cape Coast regional hospital.

The prosecution further alleged that during investigations, some residents in the area, told the police that they had earlier that evening, seen Annan arguing with Nkrumah who picks he (Annan's) sister to school everyday.

It said upon another tip off, that Essim had been seen at the scene of the incident in his vehicle, he was also arrested after traces of blood had been found in his vehicle, also a taxicab. During further investigations, it was found out that Essim had on the night of the incident, collected the vehicle from his driver, with the explanation that he would be travelling on it the following morning.

Following his release, Nkrumah's colleague drivers, could not contain their joy at his release and with some of them smeared with powder and waving white handkerchiefs, tooted their horns in support of their colleague.