The chief of Tuobodom, Nana Baffour Asare II, yesterday appeared before the Sunyani Magistrate Court ‘B’ presided over by Joseph Mensah, to answer charges of abetment of crime and attempted murder, five days after he was kidnapped by the personal bodyguards of the Omanhene of Techiman.

The court granted him and his secretary, Samuel Adjei Boahene, bail to the sum of GH¢10,000 each with a surety each to re-appear on March 16.

The much-hyped court hearing however did not attract any crowd as anticipated. There was also no security detail present. Only the chief and his secretary were present.

There were visible signs of bruises on the face of Nana Baffour Asare who looked ill, confirming allegations that he was beaten up last week by his kidnappers.

The Tuobodom chief later told a section of the press that he was still undergoing medical treatment following the severe beatings the well-built men subjected him to during his abduction on the eve of Ghana’s 53rd Independence anniversary at the premises of the Wenchi High Court.

He expressed the hope that he will soon recover and present his side of the story to the press.

Meanwhile, the eight suspects arrested in connection with last Saturday’s shooting incident, during which three residents were killed, could not appear in court yesterday. Police sources say investigations have not been finalized.

Prior to the granting of bail to Nana Baffour Asare and his secretary, their counsel, Nana Obiri Boahen, had prayed the court that by the social and traditional status of his clients, when granted bail, they would not interfere with police investigations and would present themselves to the court at any appropriate date the court, in its own wisdom, sets for hearing.

He recounted the ordeal the Tuobodom Paramount Chief and his secretary went through at the hands of bodyguards of the Techimanhene.

According to Nana Obiri Boahen, the chief was whisked away by six macho men and sent ‘by force’ to the Techimanhene’s palace where he was allegedly subjected to severe beatings.

He said the chief and his secretary were tied up and made to stand in the sun for more than three hours before the police arrived to rescue them.

Nana Obiri Boahen said the Circuit Court Judge at Techiman, whose court is right inside the palace, was so frightened by the incident that he could not even sit for the day.

Counsel however condemned the alleged 2008 assassination attempt on the Techimanhene and called on residents in the area to use lawful means to address their differences.

He also condemned the way and manner the Tuobodom chief was kidnapped and maltreated by civilians, describing it as “barbaric, primitive and unfortunate”.

Presenting the facts of the case, the prosecutor, Sergeant Faustina Anaman, said Nana Baffour Asare and Adjei Boahene, on October 8, 2008, organized some young men, including Kwaku Addae, Appiah Kusi, Kwabena Marcus, Boadu Seth and Kwasi Abraham, all in prison custody, and others now at large, to commit crime, to wit, attempted murder.

She said about 1:00pm on the same day, the accused persons laid ambush on the outskirts of Tuobodom, near the SDA School, and blocked the main Techiman-Tuobodom road amidst firing of gunshots at the convoy of the Omanhene of Techiman, Oseadeeyo Akumfi Ameyaw IV, who was on his way to celebrate the Yam Festival at Tuobodom.

According to the prosecutor, in the process, two men in Nana Akumfi Ameyaw’s convoy, namely Stephen Afrifa and Kwame Ameyaw, sustained gunshot wounds and were rushed to the Techiman Holy Family Hospital for treatment.

She said the victims had since been treated and discharged, while the suspects fled.

The prosecutor further explained that on February 16, five of the accused persons who were suspected of carrying out the shootings were arrested.

They are Boadu Seth, Appiah Kusi, Kwabena Marcus, Kwasi Abraham and Kwaku Addae, while Nana Baffour Asare and his secretary were also arrested on March 5, 2010.