COP FACES TRIAL FOR ALLEGED MURDER (Page 3)

Story: Kwame Asare Boadu, Kumasi

POLICE Constable Dennis Aryee of the Akomadan Police is to be arraigned before an Offinso Court today for the alleged murder of a suspected illegal timber operator on the Nkenkensu-Akomadan road last Wednesday night.
Constable Aryee, who fled his station after allegedly killing Yaw Agyen on a moving KIA cargo truck, was picked up last Friday and has since been in police custody.
He will face a preliminary charge of murder, pending further investigations into the case.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Seth Oteng, who is the acting Ashanti Regional Police Commander, told the Daily Graphic that Constable Aryee’s arrest would help with investigations into the case.
He denied reports in a section of the electronic media that the police had put up a GH¢2,000 reward for anyone who provided information that would lead to the arrest of Constable Aryee.
“We have arrested him already and any such media reports are not true,” he said.
Meanwhile, the police station at Akomadan has bounced back to life after last Thursday’s attack by a section of the youth of Nkenkansu who were protesting against the killing of Agyen, a native of the area.
The necessary maintenance work has been effected on the furniture, windows and doors at the station which were destroyed by the mob.
The Daily Graphic learnt at Akomadan over the weekend that the security reinforcement that was sent there from Offinso had been withdrawn because of the peace that had returned to the area.
The police said no arrests had been made in connection with the attack but investigations were going on to bring the perpetrators to book.
They warned that they would not take kindly to any unwarranted attacks and would deal with any one caught.
It would be recalled that the Daily Graphic of Friday, November 30, 2007, carried the story of the shooting of the illegal operator and the subsequent attack on the police station, which resulted in the destruction of property.
The deceased was among a group that had allegedly entered a teak plantation to fell teak.
While transporting the logs to Akomadan on a KIA truck, Constable Aryee, who was on guard duty at a construction company, signalled the driver to stop but he refused.
The policeman opened fire from his AK 47 rifle and hit Agyen, who was then sitting on top of the logs. He died on top of the vehicle but the driver sped off until he got to Akomadan where the body was brought down.
The constable went back to the police station to deposit his weapon and went into hiding, refusing to disclose the shooting incident.