THE REPUBLIC vs. IDDRISU IDDI @ MBADUGU AND 13 OTHERS [2011]DLHC7951

Date	2011-03-29
Suit No.	CRIMINAL CASE NO.B.O.I 14/2010
Citation No.	[2011]DLHC7951

HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE E. K. AYEBI SITTING AS AN ADDITIONAL HIGH COURT JUDGE

[2011]DLHC7951
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>IDDRISU IDDI @ MBADUGU AND 13 OTHERS<o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT
(FAST TRACK DIVISION), ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

CRIMINAL
CASE NO.B.O.I 14/2010&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;DATE: 29TH MARCH, 2011<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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HIS
LORDSHIP JUSTICE E. K. AYEBI SITTING AS AN ADDITIONAL HIGH COURT JUDGE<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">RULING<o:p></o:p>

</div>RULING ON SUBMISSION OF NO CASE TO ANSWER MADE FOR
AND ON BEHALF OF THE ACCUSED PERSONS<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;Charges:<o:p></o:p>In all the state has indicted fifteen (15) persons
before the court.&nbsp; They face a charge of
conspiracy to murder contrary to sections 23(1) and 46 of the Criminal Offences
Act, 1960 (Act 29) as amended in count one.&nbsp;
The particulars of the offence state that on or about 24th
March 2002, at Yendi in the Northern Region of Ghana, the said accused did
agree to act together with a common purpose to murder the Yakubu Andani II, the
Yaa-Na.<o:p></o:p>The seventh (7th) accused person
Zakaria Yakubu @ Zakaria Forest alone is charged with the crime of murder of
the Yaa-Na contrary to section 46 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29)
as amended in count two.&nbsp; He is however
at large and so he is not before the court to answer the charges against him.<o:p></o:p>Background of the
case<o:p></o:p>There are two royal gates in Yendi in the Dagbon
Traditional Area.&nbsp; They are the Andani
and the Abudu gates.&nbsp; From 25th
to 27th March 2002, factional fighting erupted between the two gates
leading to the death of several people including the Overlord of Dagbon, Ya-Na
Yakubu Andani II.&nbsp; Survivors suffered
various degrees of injury.&nbsp; Several
houses including the Gbewaa Palace were burnt and properties looted.<o:p></o:p>Wuaku Commission<o:p></o:p>On 25th April 2002, the then President
John Agyekum Kuffuour by a Constitutional Instrument No. C.I. 36, 2002
appointed a Commission of Inquiry chaired by Justice I.N.K. Wuaku retired,
(hence the name Wuaku Commission) to investigate the Yendi events.&nbsp; The specific terms of reference of the
Commission were:<o:p></o:p>(a)&nbsp;&nbsp;
To
make a full, faithful and impartial inquiry into the circumstance of and
establish the facts leading to the events and the resultant deaths and injuries
in Yendi between 25th and 27th March 2002.<o:p></o:p>(b)&nbsp; To identify those responsible for the events and
resultant deaths and injuries to persons and to recommend appropriate sanctions
or actions against any such person(s) found to have been involved or caused any
of the events.<o:p></o:p>(c)&nbsp;&nbsp;
To
inquire into any matter which the Commission considers incidental or reasonably
related to the events and the resultant deaths and injuries.<o:p></o:p>Upon the submission of its report the government
issued a White Paper on it.&nbsp; Amongst
others, the government accepted the recommendation of the Commission that
Yidana Sugri and Iddrisu Gyamfo who were found holding the severed parts of the
Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II be prosecuted for murder.<o:p></o:p>The Commission also recommended that Iddrisu Iddi
@ Mbadugu (A1), Kwame Alhassan @ Achiri (A3), Mohamadu Abdulai @ Samasama (A4),
Shani Imoro (A12) and three others be prosecuted for conspiracy to murder.&nbsp; In accepting this recommendations, the White
Paper directed the Attorney-General to instruct the Police to use the evidence
before the Commission and its findings as the basis for further investigation
and appropriate action.<o:p></o:p>