Military officer, four others remanded over robbery and kidnapping

A military officer and four accomplices have been remanded in custody by an Accra Circuit Court for their alleged involvement in the robbery and kidnapping of a Dutch national.

WOI Elorm John Ahiakpor, along with Silas Amewonye, a 25-year-old farmer; Farouk Nuodio, a 32-year-old trader; Daniel Kwesi Obiri Yeboah, also known as Aljazeera, a 49-year-old trader; and Michael Nana Addo, a 25-year-old carpenter, face charges of conspiracy to commit robbery and kidnapping, as well as robbery and kidnapping.

All five pleaded not guilty before the court, presided over by Samuel Bright Acquah.

The lawyers for the accused persons, Andy Vortia and Carlos De-Souza, presented their bail application.

Vortia, representing WOI Elorm John Ahiakpor, stated that it was not his practice to argue the facts prematurely.
He contended that justice deserved a fair hearing before relying exclusively on police claims.

Vortia said the accusations against the defendants were bailable, and that there was no proof that they had a history of bond jumping.

De-Souza corroborated this by noting that Ahiakpor had served as a military officer for 24 years with no blemishes on his record.

He argued that remanding Ahiakpor would jeopardize his career.

The prosecution, represented by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Kofi Anane, opposed the bail application, citing ongoing investigations.

ASP Anane urged the court to consider the seriousness of the charges, emphasising that if the accused are found guilty, the consequences would be significant.

After hearing the arguments from both sides, the court decided to adjourn the case to 29 October 2024.

The complainant in the matter is Lodewijk Frederikus, a Dutch national from the Netherlands.

The prosecution said that on 17 October 2024, Frederikus, arrived in Ghana to meet his friend, Silas Amewonye, regarding a land purchase in Ningo Prampram.

Amewonye, along with Farouk Nuodio, met Frederikus at Kotoka International Airport and took him to Alexis Lodge at Afienya.

The following day, Amewonye and Nuodio brought Frederikus to Amewonye’s residence, where he was to stay.
However, on 20 October 2024, Frederikus grew alarmed by the suspicious behavior of Amewonye and Nuodio and expressed his desire to return to his home country.

In response, Amewonye locked Frederikus in his room and enlisted the help of the other accused to kidnap him, subsequently demanding a ransom of 15,000 Euros for his release.

The prosecution stated that, in fear for his safety, Frederikus negotiated with the accused (excluding Amewonye) to pay 5,000 Euros, but they insisted on a higher amount of 8,000 Euros.

Nuodio provided the complainant with bank details to facilitate the transfer.

When Frederikus delayed in sending the money, four of the accused, excluding Amewonye, took him at gunpoint to a Stanbic ATM at Mataheko and forced him to withdraw GHC6,000.

While they waited for the 8,000 Euros to be credited to the account, Frederikus managed to make a distress call to the police, who promptly arrived to rescue him and apprehended the accused.

During interrogation, the accused admitted to the offenses.

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