A District Court in Mamponteng, in the Kwabre East Municipality, has granted bail in the sum of GH¢50,000 to a student of the Osei Kyeretwie Senior High School (OKESS) who is at the centre of a police investigation for unlawful possession of a firearm.

The court, presided over by Natacha Abena Tuffour, also granted GH¢30,000 bail to the father of the suspect, Daniel Owusu Baafi, 16, whom the suspect claimed was the owner of the firearm.

The bail was subject to the provision of two sureties each.

One of the sureties for the student must be a government employee or a senior staff member earning no less than GH¢4,000 monthly.

The same condition applies to the stepfather, though the income threshold for his surety is GHC 3,000.

Their plea was not taken by the court.

According to police prosecutors, the incident occurred on May 14, 2025, when an assistant headmaster of the school discovered the student (name withheld) in possession of a locally manufactured pistol while on campus.

The student was promptly handed over to the police.

Subsequent investigations led to the apprehension of the student’s stepfather, who is a pastor.

The two were subsequently granted police enquiry bail prior to being formally charged under Section 192 of Ghana’s Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), which forbids the unlawful possession of firearms.

The police, however, revealed in court on Wednesday that the stepfather denied ownership of the weapon, asserting in his caution statement that the pistol belonged to his late uncle, who passed away a year ago.

He contended that the firearm had been stored in his uncle’s room, which the boy later occupied and from which he allegedly retrieved the weapon.

The court has adjourned the proceedings to June 17, 2025.