By: Krobea Asante Ntomentwene Tofepa
The Somanya Magistrate court, presided over by His Lordship Seth A. Alafa has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of two persons for failing to appear before the court of Friday.
The duo includes Richard Teye, aka Jesper, 23, a mason and Christian Asani 26 years.
Presenting the facts of the case in court, Prosecutor Sgt. Millicent Woduro said that on the 1st of January 2017 around 1:30am, the two unlawfully entered into the mango farm of the complainant in this case, Frank Tetteh who is a 45 year old farmer and a native of Sra, a farming community in Somanya in the Yilo Krobo district of the Eastern region.
According to the prosecutor, the complainant had lately observed the unusual harvest of his mango fruits at night, and consequently reported the matter to ASP Isaac Otsin, the Municipal Police Commander following which an advice was given to the complainant to visit his farm regularly at night in order to afford him the opportunity to catch the culprits.
Explaining further, Sgt. Millicent Woduro said that on the aforementioned date, the two had harvested nine bags of fresh mangoes and were about to load the booty into a pick-up vehicle parked not too far from the farm.
However, luck eluded them after a witness who had been closely monitoring their activities informed the complainant who subsequent alerted the police leading to the arrest of the thieves.
Sgt. Woduro added that the two were however granted Police enquiry bail on the 2nd of January, 2017 and scheduled to appear in court on Friday the 13th of January, 2017. Though the complainant was in court, the culprits however failed to appear which necessitated the arrest warrant.
Meanwhile, Municipal Police Commander, ASP Isaac Otsin decried the habit of some complainants who after reporting such cases to the police and they effecting the arrest of suspects, go behind the police to ‘settle matters amicably’ without involving them.
However he gave the assurance that the interest of the State was supreme and so will do whatever was within the powers of the police to protect lives and property in the Municipality.
‘This needs to be properly addressed,’ ASP Otsin added and called for an emergency meeting of all mango farmers, within Somanya and its environs on Monday 16th, January 2017. The meeting, he noted was to discuss with the farmers how best their farms could be protected against thieves.
Source: ritefmonline.org
