Mahama's Church Gunman Gets 10Yrs In Jail
- Infoboxdaily
- Jul 28, 2015
- 2 min read
The 36-year old man arrested last Sunday in possession of a loaded gun in a church where Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama fellowships has been handed a 10-year jail term.
Charles Antwi on Tuesday confessed to an Accra Circuit Court that he was at the Ringway Gospel Assemblies of God Church to stage a coup d’état by assassinating the President who was absent at the time.
The man appeared in court without a lawyer, pleaded not guilty to the charge of unlawful possession of firearm but the court in view of his confession, changed the plea, and accordingly convicted him of first-degree felony.
According to Antwi, Sunday was his fourth time at the church where the country’s Chief Justice, Georgina Theodora Wood, also worships. He told the court “trying to kill the president was a way of fighting for the nation”.
Some lawyers in court had questioned the sanity of the man and prayed the court presided over by Justice Francis Obiri to request for a psychiatric evaluation but that was turned down after State prosecutors argued otherwise.
The man narrated how he has long sought to take over the reigns of power in the country because of Ghana’s failure to develop due to its President, stating that he had tried to seek audience with the late President John Atta Mills but to no avail.
According to him, he bought the pistol from a Burkinabe in the Brong Ahafo Region but failed to give details on the person.
Antwi was arrested on July 26, when a member of the congregation noticed his nervous and suspicious behaviour during the church service last Sunday, the Daily Graphic reported.
A search on him revealed a loaded and cocked pistol but it was not clear what his intentions were at the time but speculation was rife that he had gone there to kill President Mahama.
Source: Infoboxdaily.com
