Accra, (Greater Accra) 17 Oct.,

Three soldiers of the fifth battalion of infantry of the Ghana Army and a driver are to appear before a tribunal on October 27 on three charges of conspiracy, extortion and abetment of crime. The police who disclosed this to the press this in Accra today, gave the names of the soldiers as Cpl. Daniel Monney, L/cpl Livingstone Amegatcher, L/cpl Frederick Ajavon and Daniel Quarcoo, a driver at Bortianor, near Accra. The soldiers, according to the police, were arrested last Monday following a report made by Nii Akwetey the fourth, Dzasetse of Bortianor that the soldiers who said they were from the Castle to arrest him in connection with some land disputes, demanded four million cedis from him. The police quoted the chief as saying that the soldiers arrested him at his residence at Mallam, near Accra and told him that if their demand was met they would release him and tell the authorities at the Castle that they could not rpt not find him. Nii Akwetey pleaded with the soldiers who finally agreed to take two million cedis. The complainant gave them one million cedis and asked them to come the following day for the remaining amount. The police said Nii Akwetey later went to the Castle and after inquiries, he realised that the soldiers had pulled a fast one on him. So when Cpl. Monney and Cpl. Amegatcher went to the chief for the remaining amount, he organised some youngsters to arrest them. However, Cpl. Amegatcher managed to run away. On interrogation, Cpl. Monney mentioned the others as accomplices. Investigations, the police said, showed that on October four, this year, the elders of Quarcoo family at Bortianor published in the dailies that anybody who transacted any business on sale of land with Nii Akwetey does so at his own risk. Police said as a follow-up to the publication, Quarcoo, who is the son of the head of the Quarcoo family, solicited the help of Cpl. Monney so that they could threaten and intimidate Nii Akwetey to get stool lands at Bortianor. Cpl. Monney then organised the other two soldiers who on October four, arrested Nii Akwetey at mid-night and extorted the one million cedis from him, the police said.