Passenger denies alleged rape on bus

Accra, Nov. 30, GNA - Mr Ahmed Boahene, a Missionary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Movement, on Monday, denied any alleged mass rape on an Accra-Tamale-Bawku bound Yutong bus, before an Accra Circuit Court.

Mr Boahene, Missionary-in-charge of Chereponi, in the Northern Region and second prosecution witness, told the court that, "he slept shortly after the bus took off at the Neoplan Station at Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra" He was testifying in the case in which, Amina Mohammed a hairdresser, has pleaded not guilty to publication of false news with intent to cause fear and panic and deceit of public officer. She is on GH¢5,000 bail. Led-in-evidence by Paul Asibi Abariga, Senior State Attorney, Mr Boahene said, it was during their journey that he heard a loud noise and thought the bus had burst a tyre, and the driver would stop, but he did n= ot. Later he was told that armed robbers attacked them and shot through the windscreen. Mr Boahene explained that the driver stopped at a nearby town and th= e passengers waited for while before he returned to continue the journey to=

Kintampo, and then to Tamale, where he got down and continued his journey= to Chereponi.

In an answer to a question, Mr Boahene said he received a call from a policeman, who asked him questions about the incident, and asked to come down to Accra to assist the police in investigations. Witness explained that the police had his name and phone number on t= he duplicate ticket from the company where he bought his ticket and was on s= eat number 20.

He said he asked the police to seek permission from his superiors a= t the Ahmadiyya Mission before he could assist with the investigations. During cross-examination by Defense Counsel, Andy Appiah-Kubi, Mr Boahene said he did not know anybody on the bus, including the accused person. The facts are that Amina lives at Ashaiman, near Tema, and on Octob= er 11, this year, together with her mother they boarded an Accra-Tamale-Bolgatanga bound bus with registration number GN 263-10 to attend a funeral.

The accused alleged that during the journey, they were attacked by armed robbers at Kubease near the Customs Division of Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) barrier, during which the armed robbers compelled men on the bus to have sex with the women, and a man who was travelling with his 14-year-old daughter was forced to defile her.

The prosecutor said the allegation was reported on a radio station a= nd thereafter several radio stations took up the story and published it, thereby causing fear and panic.

It said when the driver of the bus was contacted; he told the police=

that on that day, he left Accra with 47 passengers for Bawku through Tama= le and Bolgatanga. The driver said at about 2200 hours he saw a road block mounted by t= he armed robbers but drove through it and lodged a complaint at the Ejisu Police Station and continued the journey to his destination. The prosecutor said Police investigations confirmed that there was a= n attempted robbery at Ejisu in the Ashanti Region, but there was no mass r= ape as alleged by the accused. The case was adjourned to November 30. KKY 30 Nov. 10