A 27-year-old scrap dealer and herbal medicine peddler, Abdulai Sanusi, has been denied bail by the Tema Circuit Court ‘B’ for allegedly stabbing Vincent Akpotaka on his left rib and back with scissors.

The court presided over by Klorkor Okai-Mills denied the accused bail after he was convicted on his own plea of guilt to the charge of causing harm.

Sanusi, who is a Nigerien, had his sentencing deferred to March 21 and was denied bail because he was a foreigner who had no permanent place of abode.

Inspector Jacob Kuubal, the prosecutor, informed the court that the victim had been detained at the hospital due to his inability to pay the medical bill of Gh₵ 3000, which was increasing by the day.

Presenting the facts of the case, he said the victim is a security guard at Sentuo Oil Refinery in the Tema Industrial Area, adding that in January 2024, he bought some of Sanusi’s medicine valued at Gh₵50.00 on credit, promising to pay later.

He stated that on February 12, 2024, at about 18:30 hours, the convict went to the victim at his abode on the premises of his workplace and demanded his money; however, the complainant explained to him that he did not have any money on him as his money was on his mobile money wallet, which he claimed would be difficult to withdraw because the mobile money agents in the area had already closed.

The victim, therefore, instructed the convict to come back in the morning for his money, but it did not go down well with him, leading to an exchange of words between the two, which developed into a scuffle during which Sanusi removed the scissors he had concealed and stabbed the complainant under his left rib and his back, resulting in deep-cut wounds.

The prosecutor added that Sanusi took to his heels after he saw the victim bleeding profusely from the deep-cut wounds he inflicted on him, but he was pursued by witnesses, arrested, and handed over to the Lube Oil Police Station, where he was cautioned.

He added that a Police medical report was issued to the complainant to attend any government hospital for treatment, indicating that on February 18, 2024, at about 20:00 hours, a surgery was conducted at the Tema General Hospital, where he is receiving treatment.

He said on February 14, 2024, at about 09:15 hours, the Police visited him at the hospital and interacted with Dr Iddi Sumaili, who explained that the omentum tissue under the skin of the stomach of the complainant was out and visible in the wound, therefore the need to conduct the surgery to check if any of his internal organs were damaged.

Inspector Kuubal said the doctor further stated that during the surgery, it was detected that the victim sustained internal bleeding between the abdominal and pelvic cavities (hemoperitoneum) while his stomach lining was perforated.