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Proceedings at the 28th February Road Court in Accra, popularly called the Cocoa Affairs Court, were brought to a halt when a portion of the ceiling caved in during a session on February 18.
It was a race for life as both lawyers and a defendant took to their heels.

According to an eyewitness, the roof caved in when an electrician climbed the roof of the two-storey building to fix a fault.

As people escaped to safety, the electrician, whose name was given only as John, was spotted hanging onto the roof.

Call for help

Although he shouted for help, nobody went to his rescue immediately as the people sought their safety first.

Later, police personnel at the court’s premises helped him get down from the rooftop. A witness who was being crossed-examined during the proceedings and a court clerk were among those who sustained injuries.

They were taken to hospital for treatment.

Adjournment

The Presiding Judge, Justice Charles Quist, adjourned the case to the following day.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic, Justice Quist described the incident as unfortunate and thanked God for saving the lives of the people in the room.

He said the incident occurred around 10: 30 a.m. after the first set of hearings had been made.

“This is the first time we have had our ceiling caving in during the hearing of a case, and we thank God that nothing bad happened,” he said.

Justice Quist said the people in the courtroom, including himself, fled as a result of the noise created, adding, “We had no option but to bring proceedings to an end and adjourn to Thursday”.