A prison officer is said to have accidentally shot himself in a courtroom at the Accra High Court on Wednesday, 23 February 2022.
The incident which happened at Criminal Court 5 of the Law Court Complex left patrons in shock and total disbelief as the judge halted proceedings over safety concerns.
Bloodstains could be traced from the courtroom on the 4th floor of the building down to the Law Court Complex clinic on the ground floor, where the injured warden was given treatment.
The officer whose identity is yet to be revealed is part of the team of prison officers who accompanied some four persons alleged to have kidnapped two Canadian girls in Kumasi in June 2019.
The trial was scheduled for today (Wednesday), thus the officer’s presence in court.
In view of the unfortunate incident, the presiding judge, Justice Lydia Marfo, was compelled to suspend the hearing till further notice.
However, it is unclear what may have led to the discharge of the officer’s firearm, but an investigation team has since been dispatched to the scene.
About the case that brought the prison officers to court
Four accused persons – Sampson Agharlor, Elvis Ojiyorwe, Jeff Omarsar and Yusif Yakubu – stand trial for conspiracy charges to kidnap and kidnap.
They have all pleaded not guilty.
The four are being held for their various roles in kidnapping Miss Lauren Patricia Catherine Tiley and Miss Bailey Jordan Chilley.
The two University of New Brunswick students were abducted on June 4, 2019, while volunteering for a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) in Kumasi.
They were rescued that same month, which led to the arrest of the suspects.
According to a news release from the Ghana Police Service, the two are believed to have been abducted at the Kumasi Royal Golf Club at about 8:25 pm.
Medical reports confirmed the girls were returned physically unhurt.
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