Military officer, 4 others in hot water over robbery, kidnapping
An Accra Circuit Court has remanded a military officer and four accomplices for their alleged involvement in the robbery and kidnapping of a Dutch national.
WOI Elorm John Ahiakpor; Silas Amewonye, a 25-year-old farmer; Farouk Nuodio, a 32-year-old trader; Daniel Kwesi Obiri Yeboah, also known as Aljazeera, a 49-year-old trader; and Michael Nana Addo, a 25-year-old carpenter; are facing charges of conspiracy to commit robbery and kidnapping.
At the court, presided over by Samuel Bright Acquah, all five pleaded not guilty.
The lawyers for the accused persons, Andy Vortia and Carlos De-Souza, presented their bail application.
Vortia, representing WOI Elorm John Ahiakpor, stated that it was not his practice to argue the facts prematurely.
However, he contended that justice deserved a fair hearing before solely relying on police claims.
Vortia said the accusations against the defendants were bailable and that there was no proof that they had a history of bond jumping.
De-Souza confirmed this by stating that Ahiakpor had served as a military officer for 24 years with no blemish on his record.
He argued that remanding Ahiakpor would jeopardize his career.
Meanwhile, the prosecution, represented by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Kofi Anane, opposed the bail application, citing ongoing investigations.
ASP Anane urged the court to consider the seriousness of the charges, emphasising that if the accused are found guilty, the consequences would be significant.
After hearing the arguments from both sides, the court decided to adjourn the case to 29 October 2024.
The complainant in the matter is Lodewijk Frederikus, a Dutch national from the Netherlands.
The prosecution said that on October 17, 2024, Frederikus arrived in Ghana to meet his friend, Silas Amewonye, regarding a land purchase in Ningo Prampram.
Amewonye, along with Farouk Nuodio, met Frederikus at the Kotoka International Airport and took him to Alexis Lodge at Afienya.
The following day, Amewonye and Nuodio brought Frederikus to Amewonye’s residence, where he was to stay.
However, on October 20, 2024, Frederikus became alarmed by the suspicious behaviour of Amewonye and Nuodio and expressed his desire to return to his home country.
In response, Amewonye locked Frederikus in his room and enlisted the help of the other accused to kidnap him, subsequently demanding a ransom of 15,000 Euros for his release.
The prosecution stated that, in fear for his safety, Frederikus negotiated with the accused (excluding Amewonye) to pay 5,000 Euros, but they insisted on a higher amount of 8,000 Euros.
Nuodio provided the complainant with bank details to facilitate the transfer.
When Frederikus delayed sending the money, four of the accused, excluding Amewonye, took him at gunpoint to a Stanbic ATM at Mataheko and forced him to withdraw GH₵6,000.
While they waited for the 8,000 Euros to be credited to the account, Frederikus was able to make a distress call to the police, who promptly arrived to rescue him and apprehend the suspect.
The accused, during interrogation, admitted to the offences.