Sampson Aghalor, one of the four persons charged with conspiracy to commit crime and kidnapping of two Canadian women, in Kumasi, yesterday alleged that the police has not given him all the money they took from him when he was arrested.
The accused, 27, a computer engineer, claimed that the police gave him only GH¢250.00 out of GH¢890.00 they took from him.
Aghalor and three others were arrested on June 11, this year, for allegedly kidnapping Miss Lauren Tilley and Bailey Chitty, two Canadians, who were in Ghana for voluntary work.
The accused and accomplices Elvis Ojiyorwe, 27,a businessman, Jeff Omarsa, 28, a tiller, all Nigerians, and Yussif Yakubu, 28, a driver, and a Ghanaian, have all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The counsel for Aghalor, Yaw Danquah, told the court presided by Justice George Boadi that the accused was unable to cater for his needs because the amount given to him was not what the police took.
When the judge asked if counsel knew whether the money was kept as exhibit, Mr Danquah said prosecution would not have given part of the money to the accused if it was kept as exhibit.
On October 19, 2019, the investigator told the court that police were keeping monies taken from two of the accused, but could not mention the total amount.
At proceedings yesterday, the investigator failed to show up, neither was the state attorney, Winifred Sarpong, able to explain the reason the police was still holding onto the money.
Justice Boadi asked prosecution to file pre-trial disclosure on or before November 14, and serve the accused with copies of names and evidences of witnesses they would invite to testify.
The facts are that Aghalor, also known as Romeo, met Yakubu, in March, 2019, in Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region, and asked him to help him buy a weapon, which Yakubu obliged and got him a pistol, and 40 rounds of ammunition at the cost of GH¢3,700.
According to Ms Hilda Craig, a Senior State Attorney, then prosecuting, the two became friends after the transaction and subsequently kept in touch.
She said Aghalor visited Yakubu in Kumasi on several occasions and that during his (Aghalor’s) visit in March, Yakubu introduced Nasir, an aluminium fabricator to the accused.
The prosecutor said the three went to eat and Yabuku told Nasir that Aghalor had come to Kumasi and needed assistance to kidnap a white man he had worked with to collect “serial numbers” from him.
She said after the first meeting, Nasir never heard from the two again.
The court heard that Aghalor travelled back to Nigeria and recruited Ojiyorwe and Omasar and they agreed to come to Ghana.
She said the accused arrived in Ghana to meet Nasir, adding that the four spent about a week in different hotels in Ashaiman before they returned to Kumasi.
While in Kumasi, the prosecution stated that the accused gave Nasir money to arrange for the necessary things to undertake the operation.
On June 4, 2019, Nasir rented a vehicle and brought along two pistols which they test fired after which they proceeded to town to search for the victims to kidnap.
The prosecutor said Ms Tilley and Chittey in the company of a colleague left a restaurant for their apartment at Ridge, Nhiaeso, in an Uber taxi.
But just when they got off the taxi, the accused drove their vehicle close to the Canadians and grabbed them amidst shooting.
The court heard that the accused kidnapped the Canadians and hid them in an uncompleted building at Amoam Achiase in the Kwabre District of the Ashanti Region.
At all times, prosecution said the accused blindfolded the two ladies, touched them inappropriately, smeared them with fowl blood and later demanded $800,000 ransom from the parents of the Canadians.
The case has been adjourned to November 21.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
