Ada chief in court for allegedly stealing cassava

Sub-chief of Ada Nene Tetteh Akpleh Ocansey VI and his brother John Ocansey are being tried in Ada District Court on charges of aiding and abetting criminal activity and stealing cassava valued GHC 1,200.00.

A third person, Edem Quame Afeyedor, who is accused of buying the allegedly stolen cassava, is also charged with identical offenses but has not been in court despite being served when the case was called, according to a news item published by the New Crusading Guide newspaper on June 22, 2023.

When the complainant, Eric Teye Agbashie, visited his farm in the area of Nene Tetteh Ocansey VI’s home in Hwakpo in April 2022, he was shocked to find that his cassava had been uprooted and replaced with new cassava, according to Chief Inspector Robert Dokpornu, the police prosecutor presenting the case.

Agbashie quickly informed the Sege District Police of the incident, who launched an inquiry and confronted Nene Ocansey VI, the Ocansekopey head. Ocansey confessed to the crime and requested a peaceful conclusion in a statement to the police CID, according to the article.

He reportedly also requested mediation from the Ada Divisional Police Commander in Kasseh. Nene Ocansey was ordered as part of the settlement to pay the plaintiff GH1,500.00 for the harm he caused and to stay away from the land ever again. He expressed regret and pleaded for the complaint’s pardon.

On April 17, 2023, Agbashie visited his field and saw that John Ocansey, a 45-year-old brother of Nene Ocansey, was once more uprooting cassava from the land, according to Chief Inspector Dokpornu, who testified before the court. He then informed the Sege District Police about the event, and they later discovered the cassava in Nene Ocansey’s hands.

When questioned by authorities, Nene Ocansey acknowledged that his brother John Ocansey was in charge of gathering the stolen cassava.

The two were told to show up at the police station the next day with the seized cassava, but they disobeyed.

Instead, for Gh 200.00, the accused sold the cassava to Edem Quame Afeyedor.

According to the article, the aforementioned details were made public in their cautionary statements, which resulted in the arrest of Edem Quame Afeyedor, the third accused party in the case. Unfortunately, Afeyedor did not show up in court on time.

The presiding judge granted Nene Tetteh Akpleh Ocansey VI and John Ocansey bail in the amount of GH5,000 each, with two sureties each, and ordered them to return to court on July 20, 2023 for further hearings after hearing the prosecution’s case and the attorneys’ arguments.

Source: Mynewsghana.com