Farmer gets 10 years for illegally possessing ammunition

A 43-year-old farmer, Da­vid Blagodzi, has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in hard labour, by the Jasikan Circuit Court, for possessing ammunition without authority.

Blagodzi, who appeared before the court, presided over by Mr Michael Johnson Abbey, pleaded guilty to the charge and was convicted on his own plea.

The court further ordered that the ammunition be sold, and the proceeds deposited into the Consolidated Fund.

Prosecuting, Assistant Super­intendent of Police (ASP) Seth Vicent Kpodo told the court that the complainant was the Nkwan­ta Divisional Police Command while the convict was a farmer, resident at Chillinga, near Nk­wanta, in the Oti Region.

The court heard that while the police were on their usual duty point at the Nkwanta barrier on the Nkwanta-Brewaniase Highway, they intercepted a red VW Golf moving from Brewan­iase direction towards Nkwanta with the convict on board.

ASP Kpodo said a search was conducted on the vehicle and police found two cartons con­taining 250 AAA cartridges and 250 00 cartridges in the convict’s bag placed in front of him in the front seat of the vehicle.

He said the convict was arrested and escorted together with the exhibit to the police sta­tion for investigation, during which the convict admitted the offence in his cautioned statement.

ASP Kpodo said the con­vict revealed that he intended to sell the cartridges at Chill­inga.

The court, before passing judgment, considered that Nk­wanta was a restricted area for the use of arms and ammuni­tion in any form because of the conflict there. —GNA