Two in court for demolishing property worth GH¢316,522
Two persons who have been accused of destroying property worth GH¢316, 522 at Ashongman have appeared before an Accra Circuit Court.
Godwin Mesoperh Armah aka Asafoatse Amass, a 39-year-old businessman and Mohammed Ayuba a 24-year-old Mechanic and forty others who are now at large, have been charged with conspiracy to commit crime, trespass and causing damage.
They have pleaded not guilty and the court presided over by Ms Ruby Naa Aryeetey admitted them to bail in the sum of GH¢300,000 and four sureties each. One the sureties is to be justified.
The accused persons are expected to reappear on April 9.
Chief Inspector Emmanuel Ohene Agyei, prosecuting said the complainant Charles Sewordor, is a trader residing at Santa Maria, Accra.
Chief Inspector Agyei said Armah and Ayuba reside at Osu and Anyaa respectively.
Prosecution said during the year 2004, the complainant and his brother acquired 6.88 acres of land situated at Ashongman from Oyawusu Enterprise, a company that dealt in the sale of lands.
He said the complainant and his brother registered the land at the Lands Commission in the name of William Sewordor, the complainant’s elder brother.
Prosecution said Charles then constructed four single rooms on the corners of the land to serve as demarcation marks.
He said in the year 2016 Charles and William put up a block factory and a fenced wall around the boundaries of the entire land.
Prosecution said during the early part of 2018, Armah claimed that the land was owned by his family and reported the complainant to the Police at the Regional Criminal Investigations Department for trespass but he failed to produce documents to back his claim.
He said in May 2018, a similar report was made by another person to the Police over the same parcel of land and investigations begun in respect of that report.
Mr Agyei said on June 5, last year, the accused persons together with 40 other accomplices, some dressed in Police and Military uniforms, others wearing masks went to the complainant’s site in three pickups including Armah’s personal car with registration number GW 4184-18 and with a caterpillar demolished the complainant’s fenced wall.
Prosecution said the complainant’s labourers who witnessed the demolition reported the matter to the Police and accused persons were arrested. The forty accomplices are however at large
The prosecution said Armah denied the offence but Ayuba who admitted the offence mentioned that he was invited by Armah to take part in the demolishing.
Prosecution said during investigations the Architectural and Engineering Service Limited after assessment of the demolished structures estimated the cost of damage as GH¢316, 522.
Source: GNA