General News of Saturday, 4 August 2001

Source: GNA

Tribunal remands robbery suspect

The Sunyani Community Two Tribunal has remanded John Senyo Aflamewu, 38, into Police custody to assist with investigation into an armed robbery on the Techiman-Tamale trunk road on July 26, in which he was involved.

The tribunal, presided over by Mr. Charles Adjei Wilson, did not take his plea. He will re-appear on Thursday August 16.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Alex Yartey Tawiah told the court that about 20 persons were robbed.

He said the suspect and about 10 accomplices blocked the road with timber logs and laid ambush ostensibly to attack and rob traders plying the road.

ASP Yartey Tawiah said the robbers, who were armed with guns, cutlasses and other offensive weapons, stopped the vehicle in which the traders were travelling at the road block and started shooting and succeeded in robbing them of 50 million cedis and their wares.

After the operation, the robbers ordered the victims, mostly women, to strip naked and asked them to run into the bush for their dear lives, whilst the men were made to lie prostrate on the ground.

ASP Yartey Tawiah said on July 30 the suspect and some of his accomplices went to a pito bar in Tamale where he was identified by one of the victims.

A report was made to the Police and he was arrested. Other victims later identified him at an identification parade.

The suspect claimed that he hails from Adidome in the Volta Region but lives in the Airport Residential area in Accra.

The prosecution explained that, even though, the suspect was arrested in Tamale, the offence was committed in the Brong Ahafo Region, hence his trial Sunyani.