Police officer charged with taxi driver’s shooting remanded

A police officer and two others have been remanded for allegedly robbing and killing a 40-year-old taxi driver.

The accused persons, Lance Corporal Bright Akosah, Ebenezer Tetteh alias ‘Blame’ and Francis Aidoo, also known as Keche, were hauled before the Accra Circuit Court presided over by Evelyn Asamoah.

The three have been slapped with two counts — conspiracy to commit crime and one count each of murder and robbery.

They pleaded not guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit crime and robbery.

However, their plea in relation to the charge of murder is to be taken at their next appearance in court.

The facts of the case presented by the prosecutor Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Fuseini Yakubu, were that the victim, Samuel Tawiah, is a taxi driver and resides at Afiaman near Pokuase in Accra.

Lance Corporal Bright Akosah is a policeman stationed at the Charley Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit in Accra.

The prosecutor said L/Cpl Akosah and the second accused person, Tetteh went to Agyen Kotoku and prepared a place for their intended act where Tetteh remained and laid an ambush for the operation.

The policeman then went to Pokuase junction where he stopped a Nissan Versa taxicab with registration number GW 6818-20 and convinced the driver to drive him (L/Cpl Akosah) to visit his site at Agyen Kotoku.

ASP Yakubu said the driver sensed danger when they got to the location, so he wanted to escape, but Akosah pulled out his pistol and shot him twice in the back.

Tetteh, according to the prosecutor, assisted Akosah to pull out the victim from the driver’s seat into the bush where the policeman shot the deceased for the third time in his left ear in the presence of Tetteh, adding that “L/Cpl Akosah and Tetteh abandoned the corpse in the bush”.

According to the prosecution, Akosah quickly informed the third accused person Aidoo that they had succeeded in robbing a taxicab.

ASP Yakubu added that after Akosah and Tetteh took possession of the car, they called Aidoo to search for avenues of selling the car.

The third accused person subsequently contracted an interested party to look for a prospective buyer.

“Akosah and Tetteh drove the taxi to Biriwa, near Cape Coast in the Central Region, where they parked the vehicle in a bush in order to change their clothes.

“On reaching Cape Coast, Aidoo called Akosah on phone to meet them at a location near the University of Cape Coast (UCC),” the prosecutor said.

On September 14, this year, at about 8:00 am, the anti-armed robbery unit of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) acted on intelligence that Aidoo, who resided in Cape Coast, was in possession of the stolen vehicle.

“The investigator feigned interest in purchasing the car and, therefore, negotiated the price with Aidoo at GH¢8,000. Aidoo asked to see the buyers after informing Akosah, who agreed to collect the amount,” ASP Yakubu told the court.

The prosecutor said Aidoo was immediately arrested and he mentioned Akosah as his accomplice. The third accused person led the police to Elmina where Akosah was arrested.

Akosah had in possession “the said Nissan Versa taxicab, NP22 pistol, one magazine loaded with eight rounds of nine-millimetre ammunition, wraps of dried leaves suspected to be narcotic drugs, a lighter, one iPhone 7 plus, mobile phone, a spanner, his police identification card, voter ID card and a Visa card, all bearing the name Bright Akosah,” the prosecutor said.

During investigations, Akosah admitted to the offence of robbery and mentioned Tetteh as his accomplice.

On September 16, this year, Tetteh was arrested from his hideout around Awudome cemetery.

He also confessed that Akosah shot and killed the taxi driver as he struggled with them in the course of forcibly taking the vehicle from him.

All three are to re-appear on October 14, 2020.