Businessman in alleged attempted ritual murder assaults journalist
Businessman Evans Oppong Kyekyeku, accused of attempting to use his daughter for ritual purposes on Monday verbally assaulted a journalist for taking pictures and videos of him.
The timely intervention of some police officers saved Mutalla Inusah, a GHOne Court Correspondent, from physical attack by Kyekyeku.
Kyekyeku who was in handcuff threw his hands towards the journalist saying, “you are stupid, who asked you to take pictures.”
Suddenly, some relatives of the accused also joined the verbal assault, shouting and asking, “who gave you the permission to take pictures.”
The police officers managed to put the situation under control and escorted the accused back to custody.
Meanwhile, the District Court at the police headquarters has declined Oppong Kyekyeku, who is also a machine operator, bail and remanded him into lawful custody to reappear on July 4.
The court presided over by Ms Ama Adomako Kwakye held that the court had no jurisdiction to grant bail and also said there had not been an unreasonable delay in the trial.
The court’s ruling came after the defence counsel Mr Ralph Agyapong had prayed the court to grant the accused, a father of 12, bail as the family depended on him.
Mr Agyapong contended that his client had spent about 14 days in custody, and he had been assisting the Police in their investigations, arguing that the district court had jurisdiction to grant bail.
He said the accused was a businessperson and had a fixed place of abode.
Prosecution led by Detective Chief Inspector Richard Amoah told the court that the Police were yet to conclude investigations.
Chief Inspector Amoah prayed the court not to take the plea of the accused.
The prosecution drew the attention of the court to the fact that the charge constituted a first-degree felony (serious offence) and that the Police needed to build a duplicate docket to be forwarded to the Attorney General’s office for advice.
The fact of the prosecution is that Kyekyeku is the father of the victim aged, 11.
He has been living in Holland for many years and relocated to Ghana a year ago.
In May this year, Oppong Kyekyeku allegedly told a friend he was facing financial challenges and consulted a spiritualist, agreeing to present his daughter for money ritual.
He was, however, picked up after he had allegedly managed to send the daughter for the ritual at Oyibi Kom in Accra.
The accused has been charged with preparation to commit crime to wit murder.
His plea has been preserved by the court.
Source: GNA