Three persons, a teacher and two farmers, have been arrested at Nkwanta in the Oti Region and arraigned before a Circuit Court in Accra over their alleged involvement in a series of criminal activities.
The accused persons are Cosmos Yentumi (A1), 22 and Atta Kwadwo (A2), 25, both farmers, as well as Nicodemus Ayinpo (A3), 37, a teacher.
They were granted bail in the sum of GH¢200,000 each with three sureties to be justified within the court’s jurisdiction.
The court presided over by Emmanuella Admah further ordered that one of the sureties must justify with a landed property equivalent to the bail amount.
The accused persons who pleaded not guilty are also required to report to the investigator every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The case has been adjourned to May 7, 2026.
According to the prosecution, led by ASP Issah Achiburi, the accused persons are facing five counts, including conspiracy to commit crime, preparation to commit crime, resisting arrest, unlawful possession of firearm and causing unlawful damage.
The court heard that on March 29, 2026, at Tuobodom, a suburb of Nkwanta, the three accused allegedly conspired to cause unlawful damage to property.
In a related development, Cosmos Yentumi and Atta Kwadwo are accused of preparing to commit a crime after they were allegedly found hiding in a house at Tuobodam, armed with offensive weapons including jack knives, cutlasses, chisels and a pinch bar.
Nicodemus Ayinpo is also accused of resisting arrest by allegedly using a WhatsApp platform to warn members of a suspected criminal gang to evade arrest by police and military personnel.
Additionally, Cosmos Yentumi is facing a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm after he was allegedly found with a pump-action gun without lawful authority.
The prosecution further stated that the accused persons allegedly caused damage to a gari warehouse valued at GH¢600,000 belonging to one Gasologe Elela, at Keri in the Nkwanta Municipality.
Briefing the court on the facts, the prosecution said the complainants are police and military personnel deployed to maintain peace in the Nkwanta Municipality and surrounding areas.
On March 29, 2026, at about 6:40 pm, acting on intelligence that suspected gang members were hiding in a house within the English and Arabic area of Nkwanta and planning criminal activities, a joint security taskforce moved to the location and arrested the first and second accused persons.
A search conducted in the room led to the retrieval of weapons, including a jack knife, cutlass, butcher’s knife, chisel, pinch bar and a pair of black boots. The accused persons reportedly failed to provide any lawful explanation for possessing the items.
Further investigations revealed a video on the mobile phone of the first accused allegedly showing him concealing a pump-action gun. He subsequently mentioned one James Kwabena Ayinpo as the alleged owner of the weapon.
On March 31, 2026 the first accused led investigators to the residence of the said suspect, who reportedly escaped.
However, the third accused was found at the premises and arrested.
Prosecution said analysis of the third accused’s mobile phone indicated that he had been using a WhatsApp platform to alert members of the group to flee due to the presence of security personnel.
Investigators believe the accused persons are linked to a criminal gang operating from Shiave and Chilinga, allegedly responsible for attacks and destruction of properties, including homes and the gari warehouse, in Nkwanta and its environs.
Police say investigations are ongoing.
For more news, join The Chronicle Newspaper channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBSs55E50UqNPvSOm2z
The post Teacher, two farmers arraigned over alleged criminal activities in Nkwanta appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle.
Read Full Story
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS