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Thirty suspected Suhum rioters remanded in custody

A Koforidua Circuit Court has remanded in custody 30 persons, including two women suspected to have been involved in Wednesday’s unrest at Suhum in the Eastern Region. They were to re-appear on January 24, 2007. Two others, Peter Blessing Agorbortu and Benjamin Owusu, who are tutors at the Suhum-Secondary Technical School were granted bail in the sum of 20 million cedis each. The Presiding Judge, Mr Charles Nicholas Agbevor, gave the order after hearing the arguments of both the prosecution and lawyers for the suspects. Assistant Superintendent of Police T.K. Nyadu, had prayed the court to remand the suspects in custody to give the Police ample time to screen and prosecute culprits as well as ensure that there were no further breaches of the peace at Suhum. He told the court that the 32 persons were part of some 500 youth who had blocked all major routes leading to and out of the Suhum township on Wednesday, barricading the route with tree stumps, trunks and other objects in protest of the death of five persons in the town since November last year. According to ASP Nyadu, for two hours, the irate mob had blocked routes leading from Suhum to Kumasi, Asamankese, Nsawam and Koforidua and at a point, the Suhum Police Station came under attack and distress calls were sent by the Suhum Police to other Police stations for support. He said upon the receipt of the call, the Eastern Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police Felix Asare Darko led a detachment to Suhum and they also came under serious attack leading to damages to two Police vehicles. ASP Nyadu said the suspects also attempted seizing the rifles of the Police. A counsel for the suspects, Mr Mensah Okpoti, submitted that though he does not support violent acts, it was nonetheless incumbent on the Police to make unbiased investigations into the case since his clients were not part of the mob. In taking his decision, the Presiding Judge said the court was being sensitive to the national issues, which go beyond the charge of accused persons. He however, asked the Police to deal expeditiously with the investigations so that those not implicated could be freed. Meanwhile the Police say they would rely on medical evidence, not sentiments in determining the cause of the five deaths that have occurred in the town since November 2006. The Ghana News Agency said it learnt from a police source that although the Police Administration shared the pain of the families of the deceased persons, it was nonetheless proper not to speculate on the cause of deaths. The unexplained deaths were the immediate cause of a violent riot that erupted in the township on Wednesday. According to the source, some pathologists have been tasked to proclaim on whether the resultant deaths were the machinations of some serial killers or were due to some other factors. In the instance, the source explained that it would not be proper for the police administration to proclaim or speculate with unproven facts what was responsible for the deaths. The Police have beefed up security in the Suhum township to forestall a recurrence of Wednesday's mob action. The incensed youth smashed the windscreens of two Police vehicles enroute to the trouble-spot to quell the resistance while a Fire Service detachment responding to a call to put off burning fires were also pelted with stones. Source GNA

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