Gushiegu suspects released for lack of evidence(Page 3) September 17, 2008

Story: Michael Donkor
THE six suspects who were arrested in connection with the recent disturbances at Gushiegu in the Northern Region and flown to Accra for screening and prosecution have been released.
They were released after the police had screened them and found no evidence to prosecute them.
The suspects are Mohammed Alidu, 25; Abukari Alidu, 26; Sulemana Alidu, 30; Alhassan Mohammed, 26; Mohammed Imoro, 41, and Alidu Abdulai, 42.
A police source told the Daily Graphic that no witness turned up to testify against them, explaining that according to the laws of the country, a suspect could not be detained for more than 48 hours so they were released.
It urged the public to volunteer useful information that could lead to the arrest and prosecution of suspected criminals.
The source said it was only when that was done that crime could be lessened for society to be in peace.
The suspects have consequently returned to their bases in the Northern Region.
The transfer of the suspects to Accra followed an order by the Interior Minister, Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor, during a meeting with the leadership of the major political parties, the security agents, religious and opinion leaders in Tamale.
The minister was in Tamale to ascertain the security situation in the metropolis and Gushiegu and also examine the level of damage to life and property in the troubled areas.
The violence at Gushiegu was a spill-over from an earlier clash between supporters the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at Kpatinga, near Gushiegu, on August 31, 2008.
The NPP supporters were returning home after erecting a party shed, while their NDC colleagues were also on their way home after attending a rally in the same locality.
The situation degenerated further when the supporters of both parties returned to Gushiegu to narrate the incident to their followers, leading to the mayhem that was visited on the town in the morning of Monday, September 1, 2008.
A number of property were destroyed, while some people sustained various degrees of injury in the ensuing violence.
The two parties have blamed each other for being the aggressor.