The prime suspect in the Ofaakor shooting incident, Corporal Michael Larbie, has been remanded into Police custody by the Ofaakor Circuit court presided over by Justice Ebenezer Osei Darko.
About a week ago, the Ofaakor Circuit court issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Corporal Michael Larbie who refused to appear in court on the first day the case was brought to court.
Corporal Michael Larbie is believed to have masterminded the attack by a group of armed men on the Ofaakor Palace, which resulted in them making away with the body of the late Akyeamehene of Ofaakor Nai Kojo Amoashie.
The case, which was initially supposed to be heard on Tuesday, March 24, 2020, was heard today [Thusday] after the lawyer for the suspect filed a bail application.
“The case was initially supposed to be heard on March 24, 2020, but the lawyers for the Prime suspect and the accused persons filed for a bail application so it was rescheduled to today. When the lawyers were coming, they came with the first accused person who is a Police Officer at the Police headquarters who is Corporal Michael Larbie but upon deliberation, the court refused the bail application and rather remanded the first accused person who is a Police officer into Police custody,” the lead prosecutor, ASP Alex Oppong told Citi News.
ASP Alex Oppong also disclosed that Corporal Michael Larbie will reappear in court on March 24 2020.
“The nine suspects, together with the prime suspect, will reappear in court on March 24, 2020” ASP Alex Oppong said.
The Ofaakor Circuit Court presided over by Justice Ebenezer Osei Darko issued a bench warrant for the arrest of the first accused person in the shooting that happened earlier this month at Awutu Ofaakor in the Central Region.
Aside the prime suspect Corporal Michael Larbie, nine other suspects including Philip Adjei, Abdul Razak, Ibrahim Mumini, Sharif Bukari, Isaac Banor, Steven Gbadah alias Dodge, Enock Owusu, Enock Yankey and Steven Jakpata who were also arrested in connection with the crime were earlier remanded into Police custody and are to reappear on the original date March 24, 2020.
Shooting incident
The shooting happened in the late hours of Friday 6th March 2020 after members of the Odukpong Ofaakor Chief’s palace and the Asafo company were conducting rituals to bury the Akyeamehene of Odukpong Ofaakor, Nana Kojo Amoashie, who is a royal.
This did not go down well with members of other factions in the palace who allegedly decided to mar the ceremony.
Speaking to Citi News in an interview, Odikro of Kasoa, Nai Darko Ankrah indicated that some individuals entered the palace armed with guns and machetes and demanded that the body be given to them to go and bury but they refused, forcing the group to shoot into the crowd.