Four more individuals have been arrested by the police for their alleged involvement in last week’s train accident at Abortia in the Volta Region.
The individuals are Kokou Koudjo, a 34-year-old welder, Patrick Kwaku Sosu, a 52-year-old laborer, Alaza Prosper, a 28-year-old laborer, and Fiadugbe Emmanuel, a 31-year-old laborer.
They have been charged with “abetment of unlawful damage” for allegedly aiding Abel Adzidotor, the driver of the truck that caused damage to a Diesel Multiple Unit train.
During the court proceedings presided over by Justice Mrs. Lydia Osei-Marfo, the accused persons were not required to enter a plea. They were remanded into police custody pending further investigations.
The prosecution, led by Christabel Selma Anafure, Assistant State Attorney, requested the court to remand the accused persons into police custody due to ongoing investigations.
The court granted the prosecution’s request and asked the accused persons to secure legal representation by the next adjourned date.
According to the prosecution, the accused persons were on board a Hyundai Gold Truck on April 18, 2024, driven by Abel Adzidotor.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Koudjo purchased blocks from a block factory at Juapong and transported them to Abortia using the underpass of the railway lines. After unloading the blocks, they attempted to cross the railway lines with the vehicle to avoid the underpass.
However, the truck still got stuck on the railway line, and “the accused persons tilted the head of the truck and left the scene without providing any warning for trains plying the tracks.”
According to the prosecution, investigations revealed that there was no access route across the railway tracks connecting the Juapong road.
Even if the truck had managed to cross the railway, a large gutter on the west side of the railway lines would have blocked the accused persons from connecting to the Akuse-Juapong road.
The court heard that on the same day, the management of the Ghana Railway Corporation, led by the complainant and 28 engineers from Ghana and Poland, conducted a test run of the new Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) Train from Tema to Mpakadan.
“This test run had been announced ahead of time. When the train got to the Abortia area, it rammed into the Hyundai Gold Truck, which was stuck across the railway lines.
“Both the train and truck got damaged. The train was sent to Tema for examination while the scrap of the vehicle, which was damaged beyond repairs, was taken to the Juapong Police Station for further action,” the prosecution said.
The prosecution stated that the accused persons were aware that the railway lines were not accessible to motor vehicles but still decided to use them as a shortcut. They placed stones on the railway lines to create a path for the truck to cross over.
All l can say is that, this is a deliberate act of sabotage orchestrated by NDC.