Police arrest Atronie suspects in Accra

Sunyani, April 17, GNA- The Police on Monday arrested 32 more suspects in the Atronie murder case at Maamobi and Nima in Accra. Chief Superintendent Christian Tetteh Yohuno, Sunyani Municipal Commander told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) the suspects, who were arrested in a swoop, had since been brought down to Sunyani. He said after their screening, the police found out that 11 of the suspects were residents of Atronie, near Sunyani who fled the town after the murder of Mr. Anthony Yeboah Boateng, former Presiding Member of Asunafo North District Assembly on Easter Sunday.

Chief Superintendent Yohuno said the remaining 21 would be sent back to Accra whilst the 11 had been placed in custody to assist in investigations.

The Police Commander said the police had information that some of the suspects were hiding in Accra and the headquarters was informed to carry out the exercise.

Meanwhile four other suspects were on Monday arraigned before a magistrate's court in Sunyani presided over by Mr. Albert Zoogah. They were Emmanuel Kwabena Ampong, 55, farmer and husband of the queen mother of Atronie, Kweku Agyeman Badu, 63, driver, Agomovi Abuyaa, 27, farmer and Charles Kweku Yeboah, 37, farmer.

Their pleas were not taken on the charges of murder and causing damage and were remanded into prison custody to reappear on April 26, 2007.

Prosecuting, Assistant Superintendent of Police Martin Defeamapkor, told the court that the facts of the case could not be read because the police had not completed their investigations. The number of suspects arrested so far has risen to 102, with 20 of them in prison custody.

It would be recalled that the youth of Atronie murdered Mr.Boateng, an administrator of the Goaso government hospital when they attacked him in a mob action at about 2130 hours on Easter Sunday. Mr Boateng was with his wife and a Roman Catholic Sister and were conveying the corpse of his aunt from Sunyani to Goaso in his car when the incident occurred.

The youth fled the town after the incident and the police are on their heels and have appealed to the general public to assist in bringing the culprits to face justice. 17 April 07