Atta Akyea slams court decision

Atta Akyea, Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South Constituency and lead counsel for the nine suspected killers of the overlord of the Dagbon Traditional Area, Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II, has described the court’s decision to remand the suspects in police custody, as a travesty of justice, which has to be reversed without delay.

A district magistrate court in Accra on Monday April 12, 2010 remanded nine suspects in police custody in connection with the murder of Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II, the king of Dagbon.

The court was presided over by Patricia Quansah.

The suspects include Iddrisu Iddi, aka Mbadugu, 76; Alhaji Baba Abdulai Iddrisu, 56; Kwame Alhassan, 53; Yidana Sugri Samasama, 57; Sayibu Mohammed, 34; Yakubu Mahamadu, 42; and Alhassan Braimah, 40.

According to Hon. Atta Akyea, the decision to incarcerate the suspects was a misjudgment and a knee-jerk reaction by the Attorney-General and the Mills-led administration to induce the Andani faction that it was committed to finding those who masterminded the killing of the Ya-Na and a number of his elders in 2002.

Hon. Atta Akyea, who was speaking to journalists shortly after the court proceedings in Accra, reiterated that the recent arrests by the security agencies were ‘an attempt by the NDC government to fulfill its campaign promise and not to seek justice for the late Ya-Na.
“The promise to arrest the culprits of the killings featured prominently in the manifesto of the NDC and it is almost two years now, so they are doing something to show Ghanaians that indeed they are committed to apprehending the offenders.

…Ghanaians are watching, there is no sufficient evidence to even arrest them (the suspects) in the first place than to go ahead to prosecute and remand them in police custody,” the counsel for the suspects noted, stressing that the Attorney –General should get more serious if she wants to get to the bottom of the matter.’

Against that background, Hon. Atta Akyea indicated his team’s readiness to contest any attempt to twist the arms of the law and ensure that his clients receive justice in the matter.
The rest of the counsel members include Abukari Seidu and Kwame Yankyera.

The atmosphere at the court premises was tensed as a number of Abudus stormed the premises amidst chanting of war slogans.

Meanwhile, a renowned security analyst at the Kofi Annan Peace Keeping Center in Accra, Dr Kwesi Aning, says government in an attempt to bring the perpetuators of that dastardly act to book should be careful it does not inflame passions of the two parties in the matter.

Speaking to an Accra based Joy fm, Dr Aning said the recent move by the security agency was a step in the right direction, but cautioned that ‘government has to prove that it is neutral in the matter.

He further advised political parties to refrain from passing unsavory comments about the trial of the suspects, adding that ‘until the verdict is given by the court it will be important and in the interest of the nation that politicians keep whatever they want to say.’