Pentecostal elder in court for shooting fowl thief

Sunyani (B/A Region) -- A Presiding elder of the Pentecost Church Central Assembly branch at Sunyani, Elder Tabiri, is in police grips for allegedly shooting a 21-year old student, believed to be a member of a fowl-stealing syndicate.

The gang ironically includes the two sons of the elder, Atta and Tawiah.

The deceased, Bright Afiyie, received the gunshot on Saturday February 8, this year, when he and the two sons of Elder Tabiri, went to his poultry farm to steal some fowls, it was reported.

Chronicle sources indicated that the gang had stolen at least 58 fowls from the elder’s pen over the previous two weeks.

On the night of Saturday, Elder Tabiri spotted the group entering his pen and that gingered him to fire his gun at them hitting Afriyie.

Afriyie, whose right elbow sustained injury, is currently on admission at the Sunyani Regional Hospital.

The police, on receiving the complaint of the shooting, went to the church premises on Sunday to pick the elder, but Mr. Charles Adjei Wilson, a Sunyani-based magistrate saved the elder from arrest.

After church service, between 1:00pm and 2:00pm, the elder was seen behind the counterback of the Sunyani police station.

Some church members including the Magistrate, Mr. Charles Wilson, were among the members trying to get their elder out of police hands.

Wilson, when contacted on the phone, confirmed the story saying, “the elder was leading the congregation when the police came to arrest him so we pleaded with them to wait till after the church service.”

He said he promised the police that he would make Elder Tabiri available after the service and he was fulfilling that, hence his presence at the police station.

When contacted, the District Superintendent of Police in charge of Sunyani, Mr. J K Zu, confirmed the incident, but said the case was still under investigation, “and as such I cannot brief the press now.”