BAWKU ARSON: FOUR REMANDED IN PRISON CUSTODY (PAGE 14, JAN 30)

THE four persons alleged to have conspired to kill and killing a pregnant woman in Bawku have appeared before a Bolgatanga Circuit Court presided over by Mr William Boampong.
The pleas of Mustapha Sani, 33; Rahaman Yayaha, 38, both businessmen, Yakubu Abubakari, 22, and Safianu Issifu, 39, a trader, were not taken and were remanded in prison custody to appear again on February 11, this year.
They were provisionally charged with conspiracy to commit crime, causing unlawful damage and murder.
Prosecuting, Detective Inspector John Agyuah, said all the four suspects live and work in Bawku where the complainant, also a businessman, lives.
He said about 10 p.m. on January 23, 2009 the complainant was sitting in his sitting room with his wife, Fatima Majeed, when they heard the sound of motorbikes approaching their house.
According to the prosecution, out of fear and suspicion, the complainant and his wife sneaked onto a veranda within the house to take cover, adding that from their hideout, the complainant saw six men, two armed with rifles and four unarmed, enter their compound. He said the accused moved straight to the frontage of one of the rooms belonging to the complainant’s younger brother. He added that the suspects sprinkled petrol in the room and set it ablaze.
Inspector Agyuah told he court that the suspects later proceeded to set the complainant’s room also on fire through the window.
He said the complainant and his wife, now deceased, raised an alarm after the departure of the suspects, drawing many people, including fire service officers, to the scene to help put out the fire.
Inspector Agyuah said the complainant’s wife, who was four months pregnant, was trapped in the room and was burnt to death, adding that the value of property damaged was yet to be ascertained.
He told the court that the complainant, who was able to identify four out of the six suspects, reported the matter to the police, adding that investigations led to the arrest of the suspects.
He said the case was under investigation and, therefore, prayed the court to get the accused persons remanded in prison custody to enable the police to step up their investigations, a request which was granted by the court.