Cop Kills Cop – Case Adjourned To March 24

The Accra Fast Track High Court hearing the case of Constable Ebenezer Owusu, who allegedly shot and killed a senior police officer and another at the residence of the former Volta Regional Minister, Mr Kofi Dzamesi in 2008, has adjourned the case to March 24, 2014.

Chief State Attorney, Mr Rex Anthony Wiredu told the court when the case was called that the state was bringing witnesses from Ho and would therefore need an adjournment to enable them produce the witnesses.

The presiding judge, Mr Justice Mustapha Habib Logoh, agreed but told the prosecution to ensure that the witnesses are made available on the said date.

Present in court was the seven-member jury constituted for the trial, which was supposed to commence yesterday.

Charged with manslaughter and murder, Owusu has pleaded not guilty before the seven-member jury.

At the last adjourned date, the presiding judge revoked Owusu’s bail saying the condition under which he was offered bail by a different court was wrong.

He was subsequently remanded in police custody.

Owusu allegedly used an AK47 assault rifle to shoot Daniel Dzikunu Agbale and a former Ho Municipal Police Commander, Superintendent Theophilus T. Nartey, on June 2, 2008.

According to the facts of the case as presented by Mr Wiredu, in 2008 Owusu was stationed at the Mobile Force Unit in Ho and on June 2, 2008 he and General Constable John Ofori Ankomah were on guard duties at the Ho Residency of the former Volta Regional Minister, Mr Kofi Dzamesi.

While on duty at about 9pm, one Daniel Dzikunu Agbale wanted to see the Minister. The Minister had earlier assisted Mr Agbale to attend a driving school at New Image Driving School in Ho in 2007.

Agbale, according to the prosecution, was prevented by General Constable Ankomah from entering the residency.

That brought about some misunderstanding between the two of them at the gate but Agbale managed to enter the premises.

“At that particular moment, Owusu had left the duty point to see off his wife and on his return, he was told about what had just taken place.

“He proceeded to the bungalow of the Ho Municipal Police Commander, Mr Nartey, to inform him about the incident,” Mr Wiredu said. On receiving the information, Mr Nartey followed the accused to the Minister’s residency to ascertain the facts for himself.

“While within the residency, the accused person, who was then armed with an AK47 rifle loaded with 20 rounds of ammunition, opened fire and shot dead Agbale instantly and severely wounded the commander,” he stated.

According to him, the commander was taken to the Ho Regional Hospital while Agbale’s corpse was conveyed to the morgue of the same hospital.

The police commander, he told the court, was later airlifted to the 37 Military Hospital in Accra but died the following day.