5 Nabbed Over Cops’ Murder

Five persons have been remanded into police custody over the broad daylight shooting and killing of two off-duty police officers at East Trasacco in Accra on May 2, 2024.

L/Cpl. Tasigya Ngapun and Constable Benjamin Tindam were fatally shot by their assailants at about 6pm in front of their private residence near HASKE Block Factory at East Trasacco.

The motive of the assailants has not been established as nothing was taken from the two officers after their killers opened fire on them.

Mohammed Alhassan, 46, public servant; Ginkor Abdulai Alhassan, 54, foreman; Alex Appoh, 36, gardener; Bright Nana Kwame Owusu, 27, factory worker and Ganiu Iddrisu, a 25-year-old footballer have been dragged before the Achimota Magistrate Court over the brutal murder of the two officers.

They have been provisionally charged with one count of conspiracy to commit murder and two counts of murder.

Their pleas have been reserved by the court which did not have jurisdiction to take plea of accused in murder cases.

The court, presided over by His Worship Prince Osei Owusu, declined a request by Nelson Noble Adedawonu, counsel for the accused, to grant them bail pending the committal proceedings.

The lawyer had argued that the prosecution’s fact did not support the charges levelled against the accused persons.

He went further to convince the court that the accused would avail themselves at all times should they be granted bail.

Chief Inspector Margaret Ofori Boadi, the prosecutor, opposed the oral application for bail by praying the court to remand them to stop them from interfering with police investigation.

She told the court that given the nature of the crime, the accused will not avail themselves for the trial should they be granted bail by the court.

His Worship Owusu remanded the five to reappear on May 20, 2024.

Some other suspects are still on the run and court documents indicate that investigations are underway to get them arrested.

The police on May 2, 2024, went on a manhunt for the assailants of the two off duty officers who were shot and killed in front of their residence near HASKE Block Factory at East Trasacco.

The police, in a statement, said the gunmen “did not take anything from the victims and sped off on a motorbike.”

The statement said, “An intelligence-led operation to get the suspects arrested is currently ongoing.”

The incident happened barely three days after a military officer was killed at Kasoa Millennium City in the Central Region over a land dispute.

His assailant has been identified as Benlord Ababio aka Nana Barima Ababio, who has been remanded into police custody.