Benlord Ababio, aka Nana Barima Ababio
The Attorney General has recommended that the police formally charge Benlord Ababio (aka Nana Barima Ababio) with murder for the killing of a military officer in Millennium City, Kasoa, Central Region.
The self-proclaimed traditional ruler was said to have shot dead a soldier on April 30, 2024, in front of the Millennium City Police Station.
The decision to charge him with murder is contained in advice from the Attorney General’s office after case files were sent to the office for further proceedings.
Detective Chief Inspector Addo Gyamfi told the court yesterday that he had been advised that Benlord Ababio and Nana Kofi Amo Kwakye should be charged with conspiracy to murder and that Benlord should also be charged with actual murder.
The court, presided over by Prince Osei Owusu, ordered the prosecution to file chargesheet against the two for trial on June 20, 2024.
The suspect, Benlord Ababio, was said to have shot and killed the late soldier when he went to the Millennium City Police Station to report an incident of illegal encroachment on half of the land that is the subject of the suit.
Following a request from police to detain the suspects for further investigation, the court remanded them in custody pending their arraignment.
The court rejected two bail applications filed by the accused’s lawyers saying it had no power to grant bail.
According to the prosecution’s brief facts, the deceased, Corporal Michael Danso, was a soldier stationed at the Army Base Factory in Burma Garrison.
It said that on April 30, 2024 at about 4pm, the deceased Corporal Michael Danso, together with two of his colleagues, Corporals Abdul Omar Rahman and Ametas Mathew, went to the Millennium City Police Station in a Toyota RAV4 with registration number 3591-24 to report a case of trespass.
This was reportedly based on information that squatters were developing land owned by Corporal Abdul Omar Rahman.
The facts state that the accused turned up at the police station and attacked Corporal Michael Danso, who was at the wheel of a Toyota RAV 4×4 vehicle, firing several shots at him, killing him instantly.
He added that the accused were immediately arrested and their weapons confiscated and they were subsequently produced before the court for detention pending further investigation.
Gibril Abdul Razak