Delta Force members sentenced to GH¢31,200 fine

Thirteen members of the group calling itself the ‘Delta Force’, and reported to be aligned with the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), have been sentenced to fines totaling GH¢31,200.00 by a Kumasi Circuit Court for escaping from lawful custody.

They were additionally ordered to sign a bond to be of good behavior for six months and would spend three years in prison in case of breach of the bond.

Salu Issaka, Kofi Kyei, Hamza Mohammed, Kwabena Owusu, Akwasi Owusu, Abubakar Saddiq, Yusif Saliu, Kwadwo Bamba, Salu Yussif, Kwaku Awortwi, Kwadwo Boadu, Jamil Issah and Awal Sadat Abubakar, had all pleaded guilty to the offence.

They had been arraigned to answer charges of assault, unlawful damage and rioting on April 06.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Asumadu Okyere-Darko told the court, presided over by Mr. Ekow Mensah that after the charges had been read, their counsel applied for bail for them but that was declined by the court.

The trial judge of the KMA Circuit Court, Mrs. Mary Nsenkyire, ruled that they should be kept in prison custody to make their next appearance on April 20.

The prosecution said that did not go down well with some members of the group, who had gone there to show solidarity.

They invaded the courtroom to disrupt proceedings and in the confusion the convicts escaped.

They later handed themselves in, re-arrested and the fresh charge preferred against them.

Mr. Mensah said he took into consideration the plea by their lawyers that they were first time offenders and had voluntarily reported to the police, for lawful custody, in determining their punishment.

The 13 had since returned to prison and would be back in the dock on April 20, as ordered by the KMA Circuit Court to face assault and the two other charges, for which they had pleaded not guilty.

Source: GNA