Ghana: Court Fines Trader Gh¢240 for Discharge of Fire Arms

The Adentan Circuit Court has sentenced a 32-year-old trader to 20 penalty units (GH¢240) or in default get one month imprisonment for discharging fire arms without lawful authority.

Solomon Okpodjah was convicted on his own plea of guilty of discharging fire arms at the Madina Redco Flats.

Police Chief Inspector Maxwell Lanyo, Prosecuting told the court presided by Mrs Sedinam Awo Balokah that the complainant was a trader and resident at Madina Redco Flats where she runs a pub.

While the accused also a trader who lives at Ritz Junction suburb of Madina and also has a pub in the same neighborhood.

The court heard that the accused person was leader of a group of young men believed to be terrorising occupants of government land and mobile phone sellers in the Madina Township.

The Prosecution also alleged that there was also another such group led by HaAWRENCE VOMAFA-AKPALUkim Musah Ibrahim.

Chief Inspector Lanyo stated that on May 30th this year around 11.30pm, fight broke out between a member of the accused and that of Hakim Ibrahim and in the process a member of the accused group used a sharp cutlass to inflict a severe wound on the right hand of Ibrahim who was rushed to the 37 Military Hospital.

This, the prosecution said sparked agitations by the group of Ibrahim who rushed to the pub of accused and set it ablaze.

The court heard that when information got to the accused of what members of Ibrahim's group had done to his pub, he armed himself with a pistol and went looking for the 'miscreants' while firing into the air.

The prosecution said the accused proceeded to the complainant's pub at Redco Flats and without any justifiable course shot at the rear door of complainants Santafe vehicle parked close to the pub and also entered the pub and shot at the roofing and causing damage to two roofing sheets.

Chief Inspector Lanyo said the accused who in his caution statement admitted the offence was subsequently charged and arraigned before the court.

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