Amina's trial begins

Tuesday, November 23, 2010
By Stephen Kwabena Effah

Hearing began yesterday in the case of Amina Mohammed, the lady at the centre of the l alleged robbery and mass rape on a bus, with the testimony of the driver of the said bus, SamuelAsiedu Sasu.

Amina is facing charges of publishing false news with intent to cause fear and alarm, and deceiving a public officer at an Accra Circuit Court, and has since November 5, been granted bail by the Accra Human Rights Court.

The young mother of three was charged following her comments on a private radio station that male passengers on board a Tamale-bound bus, on which she was travelling, were forced by armed robbers to rape the female passengers after robbing them.

Led in evidence by State Attorney Paul Asibi Abariga, Mr. Sasu told the court that he met Amina at the Police Headquarters three months ago when he was invited there in connection with the alleged incident.

According to Mr. Sasu who said he is a commercial driver by profession, he loaded his bus with registration number GN 263-10 on October 11 at the Neoplan Station at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Accra.

He said his bus, which was the second one to load, left the station at 10:00 pm to Tamale-Bolga – Bawku and when they got to Kubiase CEPS barrier, “I saw a blockade with logs of wood”.

He said there was a cargo vehicle ahead of him which drove through. He said he then heard some gun-shots “so instantly I knew something was happening”, adding that he then drove through the blockade but the bus was shot at, causing the windscreen to break.

He said when they got to Kubiase, he had to stop to remove one of the logs which had got stuck under the bus. He said the passengers got down to inspect the bumper and the windscreen which were affected.

Mr.Sasu said they also stopped other vehicles coming from Kumasi towards the area to warn them of the blockade ahead. He said they then continued the journey until they got to the Ejisu Police Station where he reported the incidence.

The officers on duty inspected the damage on the bus after which they took a statement from me and issued me with a police report, he told the court.

He said they were then cleared to continue the journey, indicating “we didn’t stop anywhere until we got to Kintampo,” where he said he stoped for some of the passengers to pray and others to brush their teeth.

He said told the court that it was daybreak when they got to Kintampo. From Kintampo, he said they did not stop anywhere until they got to Tamale where some of the passengers alighted.

Others, he said got down in Bolga, noting that at that point, there were only few passengers left so he had to look for another bus for them to continue to Bawku while he returned to Tamale to load for Accra.

Before loading, he told the court that he went for a photographer to take photos of the damaged portion of the bus.

Upon reaching Accra, he said he took the bus to his company where it was repaired to enable him to resume work.

Mr.Sasu said that about two weeks later while in Tamale, he had a call from someone who said he was calling from the Police Headquarters. He said the person asked him of his name and car number and whether his bus was involved in any incident on October 11 which he replied affirmatively.

He told the court that the person then asked that he reported to the Police Headquarters upon his return to Accra. He said upon his arrival he reported and a statement was taken from him again.

The case continues this afternoon with the cross-examination.

Amina was arraigned in court on November 2 and remanded to police custody, after she was detained by the police for three days. She was invited by the police to assist in investigations into the case but she was later charged.

Her remand followed the prosecution’s plea to the effect that investigations were ongoing to get the other passengers on board the Yutong bus with registration number GN 263-10, hence granting her bail would compromise investigations.

Dissatisfied with the Circuit Court’s decision, the defence team filed an appeal at the Human Rights court which granted Amina bail on the grounds that the charges against her were misdemeanour.