Benlord pleads not guilty to High Court charges

By Joyce Danso

Accra, October 16, GNA – Nana Barima Ababio, also known as BenLord Ababio, a self-proclaimed traditional ruler, has appeared before the Accra High Court alongside his accomplice, Nana Kofi Amo Kwakye.

They face charges related to a land dispute that allegedly led to the death of Lance Corporal Michael Danso.

Both men have been charged with conspiracy, while BenLord faces an additional charge of murder.

The two accused, represented by their lawyer, pleaded not guilty to all charges before the court, presided over by Justice Mrs. Lydia Osei-Marfo, a Court of Appeal judge with additional responsibilities as a High Court judge. Court.

The court denied Nana Barima Ababio bail, citing several factors, including the seriousness of the charges, the evidence on record, and the need to protect both the interests of the community and the personal safety of the accused.

His accomplice, Kwakye, was released on bail on new conditions.

Earlier in July 2024, Kwakye was granted bail at the Amasaman High Court.

However, when he appeared before the Accra High Court on Tuesday, Kwakye was admitted on bail for GHC One Million, with two sureties required to produce land documents of equal or greater value.

The court clarified that the land documents presented by the Kwakye sureties must be fully registered with the Lands Commission and verified by the Registrar of the Court.

He ordered Kwakye to deposit his passport at the court registry and the sureties to provide their Ghana cards for identification.

The court also ordered Kwakye to report to the Director of Operations of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) every Friday.

The investigating officer in the case has been tasked to diligently record his daily reports and ensure that Kwakye is produced when required by the court.

The court ordered the prosecution to file its final submissions before the next adjournment date.

The matter was adjourned until October 30, 2024.

On August 29, the accused were committed to a district court and the cases were sent to the High Court for trial.

Lawyers for the accused told the High Court that the indictment had been served on them.

The prosecution led by Dufie Selasi told the court that apart from the indictment, the accused received all communications.

According to the prosecution, they were in court for further instructions and a case management conference.

On April 30, 2024, at around 4 p.m., Lance Corporal Michael Danso and two other colleagues – Lance Corporals Abdul Omar Rahman and Ametus Matthew – went to the Millennium City Police Station in a Toyota RAV4 vehicle to report a intrusion.

This was after they received information that some encroachers were developing a piece of land belonging to Lance Corporal Abdul Omar Rahman.

Benlord showed up at the police station and opened fire on Lance Corporal Danso, who was driving the vehicle, killing him instantly.

Benlord was disarmed by police and arrested for investigation.

Further investigations led to Kwakye’s arrest.

GNA