A Member of Parliament, others placed in custody in Chereponi for possession of firearms

General News on Thursday, May 30, 2019

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com

2019-05-30

John Blanyani Yijun, Member of Parliament of Naja Electoral Region, Chereponi District (Northeast), and three others – Kapooni Beyii, Mmugabit Bigmba and Ngisa Bawa – were detained by the High Court of Tamale.

The court, chaired by Judge Richard M. Kogyapwah, accused the four people of possessing firearms and ammunition without a valid permit.

Having reappeared in court on June 11, 2019, they pleaded not guilty.

Mr. Yijun is believed to be the largest supplier of firearms and ammunition to his ethnic group (Konkombas), and whenever security has moved to seize weapons and ammunition, the accused has been relocated. contributed to the escalation of the conflict between the two men. two conflicting tribes. It also prevented the police and the army from carrying out their duties.

On May 23, 2019, security personnel learned that the accused was in a meeting with villagers to distribute weapons to them. The team went to the scene and, with the aim of arresting them, angry youths resisted and attacked the team shooting at them. However, the team managed to arrest the accused and send him to the police station, where he was later transferred to the CID regional police for further investigation.

The other three were also arrested in the communities of Mababori and Kwame Nandoni, both close to Chereponi.

A search carried out after the arrest revealed two single-barreled pistols and 46 rounds.

In court, the defendants' lawyers claimed that their clients had been forcibly charged, but that his weapons had been used everywhere because of the conflict in Chereponi and that his clients had been arrested near the place where a firearm had been recovered.

He pleaded with the court to grant his clients bail and badured him that if bail required the accused to report to the police on a daily basis, he would ensure that this is done.

Attorney General Abdul-Quddus baderted that it was not necessary for the defendants to be present in Chereponi to cause chaos and pleaded with the court for it not to grant deposit to the accused.

After hearing the two lawyers, Judge Kogyapwah decided that, as the situation in Chereponi remains sensitive, the defendants should be placed in pre-trial detention.