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The Koforidua Circuit Court granted some 26 shepherds accused of illegal assembly a bond of 100,000 GH ¢ with two bonds each.
During the hearing, one of the accused collapsed and was rushed to hospital.
The group was arrested by the anti-theft police team for illegal possession of weapons in Donkorkrom in the Eastern region.
Appearing before the tribunal presided over by His Honor, Mercy Addai Kotei, the shepherds pleaded not guilty.
The Attorney General presenting the facts of the case, Kwesi Opare Wiredu said: The Donkorkrom Division and District intercepted and arrested the suspects upon denunciation.
According to him, they were on a Toyota Tacoma Pick-up registered AW 983-20, a Ford Pick-up registered GE 7066-11 and a motor tricycle registered M-21-EN 635.
He said the task force recovered one foreign pistol, three locally made pistols, four single barrel shotguns, 66 real AAA and BB cartridges, eleven 410 rounds, ten 7.65mm ammunition, 17 machetes and two daggers.
He explained that a search was extended to the rooms of suspects Iddrisu Sambo and Issaka Ali in Donkorkrom Zongo and that in one of the rooms 12 BB cartridges were found.
He said none of the accused was able to produce documents on arms and ammunition.
He therefore asked the court to send them back to allow the police to complete their investigations.
But defense lawyer Alex Gyamfi, in his argument, said the suspects were on their way to join police in Donkokrom to save a child who was reportedly kidnapped.
According to him, the Fulani chief of the region, Sarki Iddrisu Sambo, lodged a formal complaint with the Donkorkrom divisional police command concerning a missing child before embarking on the trip.
Mr Gyamfi said the anti-theft squad, however, stopped them while they were on their way.
He asked the court to admit them on bail, citing reasons of ill health on the part of the Fulani leader and others.
The suspects will reappear in court on September 20.
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