An Akweley District Court in Kasoa, Central Region, has remanded Mujaahid Muhammed Suraj, an administrator, into police custody for allegedly shooting a driver during the 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.
Suraj faces charges of assault, causing unlawful harm, possession of a firearm without lawful excuse, carrying an offensive weapon, and attempted murder. His plea was preserved by the court, presided over by Madam Annie Adobor.
When the case was called, Suraj’s lawyer, Cecilia Naa Afoley Otoo, requested bail, but the prosecution, led by ASP Thomas Sarfo, opposed it, arguing that the offences constituted first-degree felonies and that the District Court lacked jurisdiction to grant bail.
The incident involved the complainant, Tanimu Adamu Tanko, a businessman and executive member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Awutu Senya East Constituency, and Suraj, a civil servant at the Gomoa East Assembly, Potsin.
According to the prosecution, on December 7, 2024, around 12:30 p.m., during the elections, Suraj allegedly assaulted Tanko and attempted to shoot him. However, a stray bullet hit a bystander, Bukari Inusah, who was repairing a vehicle at the Odupon Kpehe School Park, Kasoa. The injured man was rushed to Kasoa Polyclinic and later referred to Winneba Trauma and Specialist Hospital, where he received treatment and has since been discharged.
Police also seized a Nissan pickup registered GT 9590-P belonging to Suraj for investigation. Earlier that day, a confrontation had erupted between Tanko and Suraj at the Pentecost Polling Station, Kasoa Zongo, after Tanko complained about an NPP polling agent displaying party symbols. Suraj allegedly slapped Tanko, prompting tensions that later escalated at the school park.
A witness, Sadahatu Adamu Tanko, reportedly pushed the complainant aside, preventing him from being hit by the gunshot. Security personnel at nearby polling stations heard the gunfire and responded, but Suraj allegedly fled the scene while firing indiscriminately.
On November 14, 2025, Suraj’s elder brother handed over a pump-action gun found at their home to the Police. Acting on intelligence, authorities arrested Suraj on January 18, 2026, and obtained a caution statement in which he admitted owning the firearm but could not provide lawful documentation. He claimed to have bought it from a Fulani herdsman, Buba, who was travelling to Niger in 2024, for GH¢4,000.
