The second Accused person in the alleged acid incident which led to the death of New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Upper East Regional Chairman, Adams Mahama, has opened his Defence.
Asabke Alangde, who described himself to the seven-member jury as the Station Master of the Bolga-Kumasi-Kofrom No.3 Lorry Station, said he never conspired with Afoko to pour acid on the late Adams Mahama, whom he said was like a father.
Asabke and Gregory Afoko (First Witness) have been charged together with conspiracy to murder while Afoko is separately facing the charge of murder.
Both have pleaded not guilty to the crime and are facing a seven-member jury trial at the High Court in Accra presided over by Justice Efua Merley Wood, a Justice of the Court of Appeal sitting as an additional High Court judge.
So far, prosecution has closed its case after calling 16 witnesses while Afoko, who has been on remand for eight years also called a brother – John Ishmael Afoko as his only witness and has also closed his defence.
In court on Monday, February 13, Asabke took his turn in the witness box to speak for the first time when he was arrested from his hideout in Cote d’Ivoire.
While being led by his lawyer Andrew Kudzo Vortia to give his evidence-in-chief to the jury, he said he had worked with the late Adams Mahama for over 20 years.
Threats of death
Counsel had told to him “you run away to Cote d’Ivoire immediately after this incident” tell the court why you did that.
Asabke in his response said, “the reason being that I was called by the Police to come to the Police Station right away.”
He added: “I was at Baba Apayaa’s (NPP Secretary) place when the Police called me to come to the police station immediately.”
He said, “Not long after the call from the Police, I had a call from Tofiq, (the first prosecution witness) and he (Tofiq) told me that they had been to my house twice and did not see me or meet me, so wherever they meet me they are going to kill me.”
“He told me on the phone that they have taken away one of my children and burnt down my house. And also when they meet me they will kill me like the way they killed my friend Ayibiyo Atina.”
He told the jury that his friend “was slashed and killed in front of the ministries.”
Late Adams like a father
When counsel pointed out to him that the prosecution or the police are saying that “you together with the first accused person (Afoko) between 11 pm and 11:45 pm on May 20, 2015, poured acid on the late Adams Mahama at his house at SSNIT Flat, Bolgatanga.
He flatly denied those allegations, saying “that cannot be true my lord that I conspired with the first accused to pour acid on the late Mohammed.”
“He (late Mahama) was my father and he helped me in so many things. He even helped me in building my house,” Asabke noted.
“He (late Mahama) had constructed an NPP office which is called Parliament where NPP boys sit and usually play cards,” he told the jury.
“I was with him morning and evening. There were no issues or problems between us. I usually work three times in a week at the station because we are many (at the station) so the day that I was not working then I go to the Parliament House where I usually sit.”
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Close partner
Speaking through a Frafra interpreter, Asabke told the jury that prior to the case on May 20, 2015, he lived at Tanzui and worked as a station master.
Asked why he is in court he said “I am alleged to have committed a criminal offense .”
He told the jury that the late “Mahama had been my close partner for a very long time” and “I was working with him” for more than 20 years.
He further told the jury that “I got to know the first accused (Afoko) whenever there was a party (NPP) rally that is when we get to see each other.”
But, “I don’t know where the first accused lives or stays.”
The unfortunate May 20, 2015
Taking the jury through his movements from the morning of May 20, 2015, to the time he departed Lovers-Inn, Asabke said, “from the morning of May 20, 2015, I was at the station working and usually we play cards when we are less busy.”
He said, “And I went to a place called Worepisy which is within Tanzui where we normally play cards.”
“I had already bought some foodstuffs to send to my wife then Gregory Afoko came to me that Baba Apayaa had called that he needed NPP flags,” he narrated.
“I told the first accused that I have not been to school before so it is Baba Apayaa who is our secretary. I cannot read or write and since Baba Apayaa is our secretary, he should let me escort him (first accused) to the secretary.
He said, “We did not use the Main Street rather we used a different path which I brought the foodstuffs to my wife before we moved on to deliver the flags to Baba Apayaa.”
Bar: Beer: Guinness: TV
He told the jury that, “when we got to Baba Apayaa’s place he was in the house taking his bath and there was a Bar in front of his house and we went to sit there.”
He said “I told them I will take one bottle of Guinness and first accused bought me one Guinness,” and then “Baba Apayaa after taking his bath joined us at the Bar.”
“Gregory bought him a bottle of beer. Awal Akeresia also came in and the first accused also bought a drink for him. He was also a party member,” he pointed out.
Father’s medication
While telling the jury that he “took just a little of my drink and left the rest,” he said, “the first accused informed us that he was going home to give his father some medicine so I asked him to drop me.”
He said, “I took my drink with me because I hadn’t finished it at the time and I told the woman who sells the drink that I will bring the bottle back because she is my sister.”
He told the jury that, “I can’t really remember the time because I was not putting on a watch but I remember when we were at the Bar their TV was on and we were watching the evening news.”
Asabke said, “he (Afoko) dropped me exactly in front of my house then he left with his motorbike.”
News of Adams’s death
Asked to tell the court “how you got the information of the death of Mahama Adams,” he said “it was the following morning when I was bathing my two children to send them to school.
He added that “It was after I had dropped my children at school and on my way back home then Baba Apayaa called me have I heard what had happened to the late Mahama Adams?”
“And I said no, then he said someone had poured an acid on the late Mahama Adams,” and “so I should come over to his place.”
He said “When I got there, then he told me that everyone is saying that it is myself and first accused that have poured the acid on the late Mahama Adams” and “so I should be very careful.”
Asabke will not be calling any witnesses while the trial could officially end this month.
State Prosecutors led by Mrs Marina Appiah Opare, a Chief State Attorney are expected to conclude their cross-examination of the accused on Monday, February 17.