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By Opesika Tetteh Puplampu, GNA
Sege-Ada, June 22. GNA-Nene Tettey Akplehe Ocansey VI, a sub-Chief of Ada has allegedly duped a family of a sum of money over GHC 10,000.00 and facilitated the imprisonment of a six-month-old lactating mother.
Monica Dede Lawerh, 28, from Sege in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, has her now 10-month-old daughter having sleepless nights ever-since she was jailed.
The chief has also allegedly vowed to make sure Monica dies and rot in prison.
In an interview with Madam Mary Sromani, mother of Monica at Sege in the Ada West District, she told the Ghana News Agency that the daughter could have joined a family member outside the country but a brother to the chief, Joseph Sunday Amu Ocansey lured Monica to stay back in Ghana with the promise that he will help her to do her personal business.
“I helped a family member to travel abroad eight years ago, who later got a job for Monica overseas. This Joseph Ocansey guy was recommended by a friend to assist us in acquiring the passport because Joseph knows someone who can facilitate easy access at the passport office,” she explained.
She continued that Joseph after helping to acquire the passport, asked Monica to follow him to a herbalist who can cure her malaria which was disclosed to her during her medical tests on time in order not to miss her one month duration to leave the country.
“My daughter doesn’t pick my calls after she told me about their intention to visit the herbalist; It all ended that Joseph asked Monica to stay back, gave her GHC 700 to start a business and asked that he wants to marry Monica so they became lovers.
“I later had a strange call from an unknown number breaking a news to me that my daughter Monica has been arrested and is at the Tema New Town Police station. So, I went there on Saturday morning at Tema Community four, and Monica told me that, ever-since Joseph said he’s sending her to the herbalist, he camped her in his room, took her phone and never allowed her to respond to or make calls,” she explained.
This she said was after Joseph and his sister connived and took back the GHC 700.00 given her for her fish mongering business.
“My daughter told me that Joseph has been threatening to burn and kill her with a gallon of thinner which has been in the room anytime they have arguments,” she told GNA
In a court extract cited by the GNA from the Tema Circuit Court A, Monica Dede Lawerh told the police that “I woke up early on Friday, the 8th day of September 2017 and decided to come and pack my things and leave because he abuses me too much. Immediately I entered the room, he picked up a quarrel with me again and out of emotional hurt, frustration and loss of self-control, I reached for the gallon of thinner which he was already threatening to kill me with, poured a little on the floor and lit a match to it just to scare him. When the mattress and bedsheet which were on a plywood on the floor caught fire, I was alarmed and immediately went to fetch water and doused the flame, after that, I left the room to my friend Naomi’s place, Sunday was still in the room when I left”.
Monica also stated that she was arrested upon arrival at a hospital where she went to visit Joseph who she was called that was admitted. She said she was accused of setting Joseph’s room ablaze which eventually hurt him.
According to Madam Mary Sromani, all efforts to get her daughter bailed proved futile before she had a call from one Nene Tettey Akplehe Ocansey VI, who promised to aid in releasing her daughter. She told GNA that Nene Ocansey asked that they meet at Afienya and demanded for GHC 1,350.00 to see the police commander to facilitate the bailing of Monica but later turned out that the commander has already processed the issue to court.
She continued that Nene Ocansey promised to get them a lawyer but a police officer at Tema, advised her to get a lawyer on her own because Nene Ocansey wrote certain things against her daughter that can land her in prison. She did exactly as the police advised but the chief became furious after seeing her with a different lawyer, and threatened to get Monica jailed at all cost.
“All these happened in September 2017 and so we managed with our lawyer to get her bailed. This called for the break-up between Monica and Joseph, but 5 years later, Joseph called Monica on phone asking her to meet him at a hotel in Tema and cautioned her not to tell anyone but she told me, which I prevented her from going. So, Joseph called me and told me that since I stopped Monica from coming to him at the hotel, he will make sure she’s jailed and never come back,” she state.
According to her, Joseph and his brother revived the case but by then, Monica was pregnant and got to appoint in time she couldn’t make it to the court; by then too, the lawyer who was helping them also died and they took a different lawyer to step in.
Six weeks after delivery, Monica was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment.
Madam Mary added that, they approached Joseph again to get Monica out of jail but he took GHC 600.00 from them that the money will facilitate his movements and asked them to see his brother the chief too. The chief after being consulted told them that they should give him seven Goats, seven sheep, seven Cow, and GHC 7,000.00 to see the judge to plead on their behalf. She continued that they pleaded for reduction and he eventually took GHC 5,000.00 and one each of the animals including bottles of schnapps.
After receiving the items, he then asked for GHC 2000.00 again to be given to the lawyer who will write the letter to the judge to reverse the sentence which he was given, and another GHC 110.00 for food.
Few days after Nene Ocansey received the monies, he told Madam Mary, her sister and a pastor who was helping them with the case that, since the judge has already sentenced Monica, there is nothing he can do again.
Even though Monica delivered her baby through cesarean section, and with three doctors advising that she should not be involved in hard labor, she was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment with hard labor.
Madam Mary told GNA, that she reported the case to the Sege District Police commander who promised to help but every effort is yielding no results.
According to her, all efforts to get the judgment from the registrar has proven futile.
She is calling on the authorities and human right lawyers to intervene for Monica to be brought out of jail.
GNA has also gathered that, Monica has been facing health complications at Nsawam where she’s jailed and was hospitalized on several occasions.
Nene Tettey Akplehe Ocansey when contacted admitted to all the allegations leveled against him but refuted the claim that he took money to influence the judge to reverse the judgement.
According to him, he used the money and animals to reverse a vow he made not to involve himself in the matter. He told the GNA that he was willing to pay the money but Madam Mary insisted that she rather need her daughter out of jail, and threatened to sue him for duping him.
When contacted by the GNA, Assistant Superintendent of Police John Akugah, who is the second in command at the Sege district police command confirmed having received the complaint from Madam Mary Sromani. According to him, since madam Mary wants the issue to go to court and have her daughter out of jail, he asked her to relax to see what he will do that for her.
All efforts to reach Joseph Ocansey proveg futile.
GNA.
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