An Accra High Court has heard how officers of National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), then Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), retrieved a hand grenade and other weapons from a group of persons standing trial for allegedly kidnapping two Canadian ladies in Kumasi in September 2019.
Detective Corporal Augustine Dery, the prosecution’s 11th witness, told the court that the NIB while handing over the case to the police added some exhibits made of up of dangerous weapons, ID cards, a vehicle and personal items of the accused persons.
Led in his evidence in chief by Winifred Sarpong, a Principal State Attorney, the witness told the court that the items, comprised 10 mobile phones of different makes which were labeled with names of some of the accused persons, three pistols of different names, 52 rounds of live ammunitions, six spent shells, a hand grenade, a metal box, and some personal belongings of the accused and the victims.
He said the NIB also handed over three ID cards including one bearing the name Samson Agharlor and a Toyota Corolla vehicle with registration number AS 6149-19 which they had retrieved as part of their investigations.
Trial
The four accused persons made up of three Nigerians and a Ghanaian have been charged with three counts of conspiracy, kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment.
They are Sampson Agharlor, aka Romeo, 27, computer engineer; Elvis Ojiyorwe, 27, businessman, and Jeff Omarsa, 28, tiller – all Nigerians, and their Ghanaian counterpart Yussif Yakubu, 28.
Evidence
Detective Corporal Dery prior to his testimony told the court that he had worked on the case together with Chief Inspector Matthews Anokye who was the lead investigator but now deceased.
He told the court that he had a professional working relationship with the late Chief Inspector Anokye for six years and was familiar with his signature as well as his handwriting.
The witness also told the court that it was the late police officer who obtained the investigation as well as further investigations statement of the accused persons after the NIB handed them over to the police.
The prosecution therefore, prayed the court to tender the witness statement which the late Chief Inspector Anokye gave to the Attorney General’s Office in respect of the case, and the court granted the request.
Detective Corporal Dery then told the court that NIB informed the investigative team that the two pistols; Retay baron and Modle were retrieved from Elvis Ojiyorwe and Jeff Omarsa.
He said the hand grenade was retrieved at the premises of the building in which Elvis Ojiyorwe and Jeff Omarsa had held the two captives.
Detective Corporal Dery continued that the three ID cards including the one bearing the name Samson Agharlor and the metal box were retrieved in the room where the two ladies were held captive.
The case has been adjourned to July 16, 2021 for the witness to continue his evidence in court.