A suspect, Abdul Samed Seidu caused a stir at the Tamale Circuit Court on Tuesday when upon arrival at the court premises he raised his handcuffed fists in the air and shouted “Allahu Akbar” (Allah is Great) to the surprise of the large crowd that had gathered on the court premises to the case.

The Canadian based Ghanaian nuclear engineer is standing trial for the mysterious disappearance of a 31 year old social worker in tamale.

Since the disappearance of the victim, who bears the same name as the suspect, on May 14 this year from his private residence in Tamale where the suspect was a guest, the issue has generated a lot of controversy about the actual whereabouts of the victim, a graduate of the University of Cape Coast, who worked with the Regional Advisory, Information and Network Systems, a Tamale based NGO.

The suspect, who is charged with three counts of kidnapping, murder and stealing, has however pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The court has transferred the case to the Tamale High Court.

According to the judge, His Lordship Kakuunaal Amatus Kapouchieneh, it was only at the High Court that the suspect’s appeal for bail could either be granted or rejected.

The case has generated heated debates between sympathizers of the victim and the suspect leading to rising tempers and casting of insinuations outside the court premises and at social gatherings, particularly among women in the metropolis.

As a result of the anxiety generated by the case and the tension associated with it, the Northern Regional Police Command had to deploy police to maintain order.

The facts of the case according to an Assistant State Attorney, Abdul Kudus were that the victim who was a friend of the accused welcomed the latter from Canada to his house at Kalpohini Estates in Tamale where he lived alone.

He said the two friends lived together for four days after which the victim could not be traced and a report was made to the police.

The accused according to the prosecutor suddenly abandoned the house and later reported to the police that the victim had stolen 30 million cedis belonging to him for which reason he wanted the police to take action. The accused however failed to pursue the case after that.

Mr Abdul Kudus said the suspect later moved into a hotel in Tamale but when the police went to look for him there to assist in investigations into the whereabouts of the victim they were informed that he had checked out.

The police subsequently learnt that the suspect who holds a Canadian passport was in Accra preparing to fly back to Canada on the next flight.

The court had to issue a bench warrant for his arrest upon which he was accosted at the Kotoka International Airport while he was going through departure formalities.

According to the prosecutor, when the suspect was searched a digital camera, a laptop, an ipod, a Motorola mobile phone battery, two phone chargers, two pen drives and some documents, all belonging to the victim were found on him.

Source: Daily Graphic