90-year-old lynching: Suspects rearrested after court discharge

The 90-year-old woman was beaten to death after being labelled a witch

Suspects in the murder of 90-year-old Akua Denteh at Kafaba in the East Gonja Municipality reappeared in the Bole magistrate court on Thursday August 20, 2020.

Presiding over the case, the judge at the Bole Magistrate Court His Worship Andrew Prince Cudjoe discharged the accused on their earlier charge sheets but they were rearrested.

The judge directed the police to remand the accused persons to police custody until the next hearing on the 18th of September.

The suspects were arrested on different days and on different charge sheets but the case is now Consolidated into one charge sheet known as the Republic vrs Haruna Aness and fourten (14) others.

Explaining the process to local Radio Station Nkilgi fm at the court, the Chief State Attorney of the Office of the Attorney General in-charge of Northern, Savannah and North East regions, Mr Salia Abdul-Kudus said the accused persons have been discharged on the former charges and the cases consolidated into one case to enable all stakeholders to speed up action on the case and deliver justice.

He added that the docket will be sent to the office of the Attorney General in Tamale for perusal within the next one week from 20th August 2020 after which they will be arraigned before a Tamale High court.

Mr. Abdul- Kudus said the accused persons are being tried for a capital offence which is murder and that the Bole Magistrate court cannot give the accused persons bail hence the court remanding them into police custody again.

Seven (7) out of the fourteen accused persons are in police custody while seven (7) are at large.

He said they will be committed by the Bole court to a High Court in Tamale and that by the middle of September the case will be heard at a Tamale High Court.

Scores of residents of Bole trooped to the court premises to catch a glimpse of the accused persons linked to the killing of the 90-year-old woman.

There was heavy security at the court premises to ensure the safety and protection of the accused persons.