"Constitution allows freedom of religion"-Judge

Akyem Oda, June 2, GNA - A circuit court judge on Tuesday said in an era when the constitution allowed freedom of religion and the inalienable right of individuals to profess and manifest any faith and practice, it would be wrong to force any individual to abandon his faith.

Mr Edward Kwame Bosompem Apenkwah, who was sitting as additional magistrate at the Akyem Oda District Magistrate Court, said that action would amount to gross violation of the person's human rights and must be roundly condemned.

He was convicting five persons to a total of GHC 1,000 on charges of stealing, assault, causing unlawful damage to property, possessing firearm without authority, carrying offensive weapons and use of firearm.

The convicts are Nsumankwahene of Larteh Akuapem, Kwadwo Awuah, Kofi Amponsah, Adwoa Awusiwaa and Kwasi Danso would go to prison for seven months in default of payment.

All the convicts except Adwoa were further ordered to pay GHC 150 to the complainant, Kwadwo Tieku, to defray his medical bills and expenses arising from their unlawful act perpetrated against him. Awuah was further sentenced to a fine of GHC 200 in addition to the other fine.

The court acquitted and discharged three others while two died in the course of the trial.

Mr Apenkwah condemned the behaviour of the convicts in no uncertain terms and said it was dehumanizing for the complainant to be paraded through the streets of Mukyiem amidst hooting and humiliation. The facts as narrated by the prosecution was that the complainant is a cocoa, oil palm and citrus farmer at Akyem Mukyiem in the Akyemmansa District while the convicts are all farmers with some of them staying at Larteh Akuapem.

About one and half years ago, the complainant's pig was stolen and he made his own enquiries to trace who stole it but was not able to apprehend the culprit.

The prosecution said later the labourer of the chief in the community got sick and died and the chief himself also died in a motor accident not long after.

The convicts, who suspected the complainant to have caused the death of the two through juju, attacked him and his family. They paraded the complainant through the main town of Mukyiem amidst beating and also destroyed some of his personal effects by setting them on fire.

During the assault and destruction a Good Samaritan rushed to Akyem Oda Police Station to report and police proceeded to the scene and met some of the convicts in the act.

The complainant and one of his children, Joseph Tieku, who were injured, were conveyed to the Akyem Oda Government Hospital to be treated. Later the rest of the convicts were traced and arrested