OKESS student, stepfather granted GHC80,000 bail in firearm case

A District Court in Mamponteng has granted bail to the Osei Kyeretwie Senior High School (OKESS) student at the center of a police investigation for unlawful possession of a firearm.

The court, presided over by Natacha Abena Tuffour, set the student’s bail at GH¢50,000.

The suspect’s stepfather, Daniel Owusu Baafi, whom the 16-year-old student claimed owned the weapon, was also granted bail in the sum of GH¢30,000.

Both bail conditions require the provision of two sureties each. For the student, one surety must be a government employee or senior staff earning not less than GH¢4,000 monthly, while the same condition applies to the stepfather, but with an income threshold of GH¢3,000 for his surety. Their pleas were not taken by the court.

According to police prosecutors, the incident occurred on May 14, 2025, when an assistant headmaster discovered the student in possession of a locally manufactured pistol while on campus.

The student was promptly handed over to the police, and subsequent investigations led to the apprehension of his stepfather, a pastor.

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Both had previously been granted police enquiry bail before being formally charged under Section 192 of Ghana’s Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), which prohibits unlawful possession of firearms.

In court, police revealed that the stepfather denied ownership of the weapon, asserting in his caution statement that the pistol belonged to his late uncle, who passed away a year ago.

He contended that the firearm had been stored in his uncle’s room, from which the boy allegedly retrieved the weapon.

The court has adjourned the proceedings to June 17, 2025.

The post OKESS student, stepfather granted GHC80,000 bail in firearm case first appeared on 3News.

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