4 Remanded for plotting to kill family head

Four persons have been remanded into police custody for plotting to kill Mr Timothy Ebo Essandoh, the Asona number one royal family head of Agona Kwanyako in the Central Region.

They are Kennedy Adjei Gyasi, 53, driver, Eric Frimpong alias Oduah, aged 32, also driver, Stephen Dadzie, a labourer, aged 21 and Joseph Koomson, aged 57, a drinking bar operator.

They have been charged with conspiracy to commit crime, to wit murder contrary to sections 23 (1) and 46 of Act 29/60 by the Swedru Magistrate Court presided over by Mr Isaac Apeatu.

Their pleas were not taken when they appeared before the court last Thursday, and were remanded to reappear in court on October 28, 2021 for hearing to continue.

Facts of the case

The facts of the case as presented by the prosecution led by Inspector Mariam Maaboah were that the complainant in the case is Timothy Ebo Essandoh who is the family head of the Asona number one royal family at Agona Kwanyako.

She said the complainant and the accused persons were all members of the Asona number one royal family, and that during 2015, some members of the royal family led by Dr Adjoku Abora VII sent the complainant to the High Court in Agona Swedru for selling the family land without the family benefitting from it.

She said the case was before the court until the year 2020 when some opinion leaders from the family withdrew the case for an out of court settlement, saying “during the month of August 2021, accused persons conspired to kill the complainant so as to get access to a bag which contains all documents covering the family land.

She stated that the accused persons got into contact with one Sokorde to kill the complainant and they invited Sorkode and met at Joseph Koomson’s spot located at Agona Kwanyako, where negotiations were made on how to kill the complainant.

Feigned interest

The Prosecutor said that Sorkode feigned interest in the deal and charged the accused persons GH¢20,000, stressing “Koomson gave mobile contact of the complainant to call and meet him for a discussion”.

The prosecution said Frimpong and Koomson met Sorkode and made an initial payment of GH¢8,000 and GH¢2,000 respectively. Subsequently, Sorkode met the complainant and narrated how accused persons hired him to kill him and get the bag in which he keeps the family land documents.

She said the complainant after hearing the plot by the accused persons reported the case to the Police and surveillance was placed on the accused persons. On October 1, 2021, an arrangement was made and accused persons were informed that the complainant had been killed

She said that Frimpong and Dadzie then decided to meet the killer (Sorkode) at Awutu Obrachire with the balance of GHȻ10,000 and collect the bag. They were arrested when the bag was handed over to them.