Court adjourns Ya-Na trial

Accra, Feb. 24, GNA - The Accra Fast Track High Court hearing the Ya-N= a murder case on Thursday had to adjourn sitting because the defence had not been served with the prosecution's response to the defence 93application= for no case".

The defence at an earlier sitting filed for a submission of no case on behalf of the 15 accused persons in the alleged murder of Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II, Paramount Chief of Dagbon Traditional Area. When the case was called, Ms Gertrude Aikins, Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) told the court that the prosecution filed its response to the defence application on February 21, at the court's registry. However, Mr Philip Addison, Lead Counsel for the defence told the cour= t that the prosecution's response was not forthcoming.

Mr Justice E.K. Ayebi, the trial judge asked why the defence had not been served because prosecution had filed its response on Monday, February 21. Later, he sent for the court's registrar who had to explain why they had not served the defence. Afterwards the court's registrar served Mr Philip Addison with a 110-page booklet- response from the prosecution. The case was therefore adjourned to March 4, to allow the defence enough time to prepare for the hearing of the case. Fifteen persons are standing trial for their alleged involvement in th= e murder of Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II and 30 others in March 2002. They have all pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to murder and murder. The accused persons are; Mohammed Habib Tijani, former Yendi DCE, Iddrisu Iddi, 76, Alhaji Baba Iddrisu Abdulai, 54, Kwame Alhassan, 53, and Mohammadu Abdulai, 57.

The others are; Saibu Mohammed, 34, Alhassan Mohammed Briamah, 40, Alhassan Ibrahim, Mohammed Mustapha and Sani Moro. The rest are; Baaba Ibrahim, Yakubu Usifu, Ahmed Abukari, Abdul Razak Usifu and Alhassan Braimah. Zakaria Forest, the man alleged to have cut-off the head and hands of the Ya- Na, is at large. The prosecution's case is that sometime in March 2002, the Ya-Na and some of his elders were killed following a clash between the two royal gate= s in Dagbon, the Abudus and Andanis.

After the clash, Idrissu Gyamfo and Yidana Sugri were arrested and prosecuted for the alleged murder but they were acquitted and discharged. The government in a fresh attempt to find the murderers conducted a dawn swoop at Yendi during which 41 persons were rounded up. After screening them in Bimbilla, 33 were granted self-recognisance bail, while the rest were brought to Accra and subsequently others were arrested and were arraigned.