A gallon of acid was said to have been found at the home of the second suspect involved in the murder of the Upper East Region chair, prosecutors haves said.

Asabke Alangbi, who is at large, is facing prosecution in abstention for the murder of Adams Mahama.

One other suspect, Gregory Afoko appeared at a Magistrate's Court in Accra Tuesday and was remanded into police custody to reappear on July 9.

Reading a charge sheet in court, the Prosecutor, Superintendent Francis Baah said after the first suspect was arrested, the police traced the residence of the second suspect but did not find him at home.

He was said to have fled with his wife, leaving behind their baby.

Joy News' Kwakye Afreh Nuamah reported Superintendent Baah  as saying in the absence of the second suspect a search was conducted in his home and a gallon of acid found.

He told the court that they are conducting a forensic study to come up with a conclusive information.

Meanwhile, the Upper East Region Chairman of the New Patriotic Party died of extensive acid burns and shock lungs (acute respiratory distress syndrome), an autopsy report has indicated.

Adams Mahama died a day after he was bathed with acid by some unscrupulous men, one of whom is alleged to be Gregory Afoko, brother of the chairman of opposition party, Paul Afoko.

Even though no medical report initially supported the claim that Mahama died directly as a result of the acid burns, many were quick to draw that inference due to the severity of the burns sustained by the NPP chair in the Upper East.

A car seat on which Mahama sat during the acid attack had been burned seriously. The man himself was confirmed dead at the Bolgatanga Hospital and later buried according to Islamic traditions.

When one of the suspects was brought to court on Tuesday, the prosecution for the first time made the autopsy report available linking the death of the deceased person directly to the acid attack he suffered the night before.

Joy News' Kwakye Afreh-Nuamah reported Superintendent Francis Baah as saying the deceased person died from "shock lungs and extensive acid burns," and preferred murder charges against the suspect.

A shock lung is described in medical terms as a "life-threatening medical condition characterized by widespread inflammation in the lungs."

 

Here is a copy of the charge sheet.

 

The deceased Adams Mahama until his untimely death was a contractor and the Upper East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The 1st suspect Gregory Afoko is a farmer, an NPP youth activist and a younger brother to Mr. Paul Afoko, National Chairman of the same party whiles the 2^nd suspect Asabke Alangdi is also a party member.

During the early part of May, 2015, Mr. Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong, National Chairman and General Secretary respectively of the NPP embarked on a tour.

On the 14^th day of May 2015, the National Chairman and the General Secretary arrived in Bolgatanga. The deceased organized some thugs to violently attack them, scuttling the planned meeting at Azumsolom Guest House for campaigning against the flagbearer, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo and also not notifying him.

The situation was later brought under control by the police. The 1^st suspect was not impressed with the action taken by the regional chairman, and as a result had serious confrontation with the deceased until he was chased away by the thugs.

Later the 1^st and 2^nd suspects mobilized some youth to form another group with the sole aim to protect party executives perceived to be against Nana Akufo Addo’s bid.

The suspects and other members has a series of meetings and in the evening of 20^th May 2015, two assailants now identified as the 1^st and 2^nd suspects, armed with a substance in a gallon suspected to be acid, laid ambush at the deceased’s residence.

The deceased returned home around 11:00pm in his pick-up vehicle with registration No. 761-14 and immediately he parked the vehicle in front of his house; the suspects went close, signaled him to roll down the glass.

The deceased identified the suspects to be his party members, rolled down the glass to talk to them. Suddenly, the suspects poured the substance suspected to be acid on his head, face and other parts of his body and fled on a motorbike.

The deceased started screaming for help and his wife; Hajia Zenabu Adams came to the aid of her husband and managed to bring him out of the vehicle.

In the process she sustained burns on the right side of her chest and breast. The wife enquired to know what happened to him and the deceased told her that it was the 1^st and 2^nd suspects who poured the substance on him.

The deceased, who could not withstand the pains was still shouting and started removing his clothes. This attracted the attention of the neighbours who took him to the Upper East Regional Hospital.

The deceased repeatedly mentioned the names of the 1^st and 2^nd suspects as those who poured the substance on him to neighbours and friends who came to his aid and rushed him to the hospital.

While the deceased was being prepared to be airlifted to Accra for intensive care, he was pronounced dead.

During investigations, the 1^st suspect was arrested in his house and when asked to lead police to the house of the 2^nd suspect, he rather took them to the father’s house.

Police later located the house of the 2^nd suspect but he had got wind of their presence and absconded with his wife, leaving behind their baby.

A gallon which contained some of the substance and a plastic cup were retrieved at the scene for forensic examination.

Post Mortem examination was conducted on the body of the deceased and the Pathologist gave the cause of death as

1. Shock lungs
2. Extensive Acid burns

Investigation  is still ongoing