A 50-year-old driver has been remanded into police custody by the Nkawie circuit court in the Atwima Nwabiagya South Municipality in the Ashanti region over dangerous and drunk driving.

Richard Botwe pleaded not guilty to the charges of dangerous driving and driving under the influence of alcohol and will be brought back to court on December 22, 2025.

Police Inspector Kwaku Frimpong, prosecuting, told the court presided over by Mr Robert Addo that Botwe was a Kia truck driver playing on the Kumasi-Bibiani highway.

He said, on June 11, 2025, at about 0600hours, the accused person was driving a Kia Rio truck with registration number AS 9519-19 from Abuakwa to Kasapei near Bibiani.

He explained that at a section of the road near Atwima- Mim, he wrongly overtook a Mercedes Benz sprinter bus with registration number AS 4379-22, belonging to the Mim Life Gate International School carrying 17 pupils and two female teachers and hit the off-side of the vehicle.

He said all the pupils and the teachers sustained injuries and were rushed to the Afari Community hospital, but three of the children were referred to the A-one Hospital at Kumasi-Santasi, where two of them were pronounced dead.

According to the prosecution, a test conducted on the alcoholic intake of the accused person revealed 0.135 content of alcohol, instead of the normal 0.08 on that day.

Prosecution said, in his caution statement, the accused person admitted the offences, and after further investigations, he was charged and brought before the court.