Police Pick 3 For Tefle Killings ( September 7, 2012 )

The police have picked three persons in connection with the serial killing of five women at Sogakope and its environs in the Volta Region.

All the suspects, including Samuel Tsatsu, a 70-year-old farmhand, alias Adzaguda Razzick, and 37-year-old Jerry Kelvin, were arrested at Tefle, near Sogakope. The third suspect’s identity could not be established as according to the police, he was acting deaf and dumb.

According to police records, the five women were murdered in similar method of operation in a period spanning September 16, 2011 to June 23, 2012.

“All the five deaths followed similar characteristics. The bodies were found lying in supine positions with marks of violence and both legs opened. They were naked with two of them having red bands tied to their necks and hands.”

Speaking at a press conference in Accra, the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Commissioner of Police, Mr Prosper K. Agblor, observed that ever since the suspects were arrested, killings in the area had stopped.

He said contrary to public belief, investigations suggested that the women were not killed in the Sogakope area but were murdered elsewhere and their bodies dumped in the area.

According to him, so far, two of the bodies had been identified as Baby Dugbenu, 30, who hailed from Kpotame near Dume, and Diana Daakpene, an indigene of Tefle. The unidentified female bodies were found in Vume and Tefle.

Giving details of the arrests, a woman who was to become the sixth victim, Ernestina Zaku, 42, in the company of her two children went to a nearby stream at Tefle to wash her clothes.

While there, at around 1.20 pm, a man who appeared to be deaf and dumb suddenly emerged from the nearby bush.

When Ernestina enquired his mission, he attacked her and attempted to strangle her. Ernestina then raised an alarm and she was rescued by three good Samaritans whose names were given as Dzobo Amesawu, Benjamin Amekudzi and Simon Kwaku.

The suspect had since failed to talk, suggesting that he was deaf and dumb.

On the same day, while the deaf and dumb suspect was being escorted to the police station, Jerry was also seen in the vicinity.

Jerry could not offer any tangible reason for being there at that time, so he was also arrested over suspicion of being linked to the murders. Both suspects were then handed over to the Tefle Police and were later transferred to the Homicide Unit.

He said Jerry, who is unemployed, claimed he hailed from Kumasi and that he was on his way to Nigeria on foot. He could, however, not indicate his address in Kumasi for verification.

Laughter rippled through the conference room when the CID boss introduced a relatively young Samuel who claimed he was 70-years-old.

According to the CID boss, Samuel was arrested at Tefle in the company of a yet-to-be identified female adult whose body was discovered on June 23, 2012.

A search in the suspect’s residence, Mr Agblor stated, revealed several strips of red cloth, six dirty braziers, seven dirty ladies blouses, four dirty scarfs, a quantity of ladies waist beads, five pairs of female sandals, two knives, two-non functioning mobile phones and GH¢480.

“A critical analysis of the various scenes vis-a-vis the exhibits found in the room of the suspect circumstantially links him to the murders,” he said.

On July 8, 2012, the suspects were arraigned before the AMA District Magistrate Court presided over by Mr Ali Baba Bature on charges of attempted murder. They were remanded in prison custody. The court ordered that the suspects be sent to the Psychiatric Hospital for mental observation and report.

Mr Agblorh said the police had since complied with the order.

In a related development, two Nigerians have been remanded in prison custody for kidnapping.

According to the facts, on August 20, 2012, the first suspect, Sunday Obadji, engaged the services of a 26-year-old porter, Barikisu Iddrisu to cart his goods from Tema Station to the Aflao Station, both in Accra, for GH¢3.

However, when they reached the destination, Sunday said he had run out of money, and so requested Barikisu to accompany him to his house to take the money and also assist him in doing some laundry but failed to give the location of his house.

According to Mr Agblor, Barikisu who had presumed that Sunday lived within the Accra Metropolis followed him, and Sunday who claimed he did not have money on him was able to pay for two tickets amounting to GH¢9 and boarded an Aflao-bound vehicle with Barikisu.

He said upon reaching Sege, Barikisu became apprehensive and requested the driver to pull up to enable her to alight from the vehicle but Sunday urged the driver not to stop.

When they reached Tefle, Sunday requested the driver to stop and he alighted with Barikisu. He then asked her to accompany him to the Evergreen Guest House where he claimed he was residing but Barikisu declined. Sunday then proceeded to the guest house alone to deposit his luggage.

While the suspect was away, Barikisu started crying and thus attracted the attention of two young men - Stephen Tenge and Andrews Ahiadzi - who enquired from her what her problem was and she narrated her story.

When Sunday returned to ostensibly force Barikisu to accompany him to the guest house, he was apprehended.

He said while being escorted to the police station, Sunday begged that he be allowed to go and lock his hotel room.

On arrival at the guest house, his compatriot, Francis Onyewere, who was eating, offered the arresting civilians GH¢10 to secure the release of Sunday but they refused the offer. Francis, who accompanied Sunday to the police station, was also arrested by the police.

On August 24, 2012, Sunday and Francis were arraigned before the Sogakope Circuit Court charged with kidnapping and rescuing another person from lawful custody respectively.

He said Francis was granted bail but could not meet the conditions of the bail hence was remanded in prison custody.