The Amasaman Circuit Court has granted GHC50,000.00 bail with two sureties to a 28-year-old farmer, Ali Baba Maigah, who is facing charges for allegedly threatening a businessman and his employees over a disputed store rental agreement.
The case stems from a GHC30,000.00 fraud allegedly committed by Ali Baba’s father, Issaka Maiga, 62, who reportedly took money from the complainant, Sadat Osmanu, under the pretense of renting him a store, only for the space to be occupied by another individual.
The prosecution, led by Police Chief Inspector Frederick Ansah-Awuah, revealed that Osmanu, a businessman, had sought to rent a store in August 2024 and was introduced to Issaka through a local Imam, Mallam Mutala.
Osmanu paid GHC30,000.00 for a five-year lease, but after the payment, Issaka stopped responding to his calls. Despite this, the complainant proceeded with renovation work on the store, only to discover that it had been occupied by an unknown person.
Upon attempting to move his work into an adjacent store, Osmanu and his workers were confronted by Ali Baba, who allegedly seized their tools and threatened to assault them if they continued working there.
Repeated efforts by the complainant to contact Issaka were ignored, and each attempt to use the store was blocked by Ali Baba, who insisted that Osmanu had no right to the space.
The situation escalated on November 11, 2024, when the complainant formally reported the matter to the Amasaman Divisional CID. However, when officers attempted to contact Issaka, he refused to respond.
The following day, as Osmanu and his workers once again tried to enter the store, Ali Baba confronted them violently. He was subsequently arrested.
While being transported to the police station in Osmanu’s Ford vehicle, Ali Baba’s wife, Brahina Yakubu, verbally assaulted the complainant and the officers. She then threw a stone at the vehicle, shattering the front windscreen, which was later valued at GHC1,850.00 in damages.
During police interrogation, Ali Baba admitted to preventing the complainant from using the store. Meanwhile, investigations revealed that Issaka had been arrested in connection with a similar fraud case in Nsakina, a suburb of Accra.
Both father and son were charged and summoned to court, but Issaka failed to appear. The court, presided over by Ms. Enid Marful-Sau, has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Issaka and Brahina, who remains at large.
Ali Baba is set to reappear in court on April 2, 2025, for a Case Management Conference, while police continue their search for Brahina and Issaka.
