Families cry for justice as dockets on 6 murder cases gather dust (15 October 2014) Front page
Dockets on six high-profile murders that were perpetrated in certain communities between 2005 and 2012 continue to gather dust, as the families and friends of the victims await justice.
Apart from their inability to unravel the motives behind those
heinous crimes, the police have also not been able to apprehend the
culprits.
According to them, although jail terms for the perpetrators would not bring back their family members to life, it was their only remaining consolation.
They therefore appealed to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to ensure that the killers of their relatives were arrested and dealt with by law.
“It is sad that all these years, the police even keep us in the dark about what has happened to the investigations,”one family member said.
The cold-blooded murder shook the community, as the killers left without taking a pin from the house — a fact that put armed robbery as the motive far off.
That incident turned Dome on its head, but almost 10 years down the line, the police are yet to unravel what the Daily Graphic of January 25, 2005 described as a ‘mafia-type revenge killing’.
The Dome incident is one of six cases that have not been resolved by the police, a Daily Graphic research has revealed
Some of the unresolved cases are between a year and almost 10 years old and their trail appears to be growing cold.
Not even monetary rewards meant to encourage the public to offer information that can lead to the arrest of the culprits have been attractive enough to give any leads to help the police capture the perpetrators of the crimes.
The Daily Graphic went down memory lane to retrieve some of the cases that have been unresolved over the last few years.
Although situated within a notorious neighbourhood, and near the densely populated areas of Ablekuma and Anyaa, Onyenase had not been noted for violent crime and robbery until residents woke up to the real horror of horrors.
According to neighbours, the woman, Irene Emefa Agbei, 28, was a trader at the Rawlings Park in Accra, while her boyfriend was known as Awal. Her wounds indicated that she had been shot twice, one at the back of her shoulder which came out through one of her breasts and the other slightly above her hips.
They were both shot at the same spot and crime scene investigators indicated that whoever fired the shots could have been a good marksman.
In response, the police announced a GH¢2,000 bounty for information leading to the arrest of the assailants. But seven years on, no arrest has been made.
Ibrahim was shot in the jaw through the side window of his BMW saloon car at about 10 p.m. while he was about 300 metres away from his house.
The car, with registration number GW 9187 Q, sped off after the gunshot and the assailants fired another shot through the boot. Seidu fell from the car and died instantly. The motive was not clear because nothing, according to the family members, was taken from the car.
Two days after the incident, August 7, 2006, the then Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Patrick Acheampong, despatched a team of investigators to the area, but their efforts did not yield any fruit — no arrest has been made.
The 43-year-old businessman and owner of one of the largest networks for gas distribution in the country was gunned down in cold blood when armed robbers stormed his residence on the night of September 14, 2010 and bolted with a large amount of money.
Police sources said in the full glare of his family at their Madina Estate residence and amid pleas from his terrified wife, Badu was shot in the chest and head before the gunmen disappeared with the bag containing the money.
Almost four years after the crime, the case is still lying cold in the freezers of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service.
Both children — Ama Francisca, one-and-a-half years old and Abena Dwubi, four — had their vital organs exposed when their bodies were found. Their mother, Ama Oforiwaa, however, survived the ordeal after being stabbed in the abdomen.
Yeboah has since been on the run, two years and three months after the sordid act.
Bloodstains were found in his left armpit and on his scrotum, while bruises were found on his left leg, with blood oozing from his nostrils.
The police at the time could not determine whether the incident was murder or suicide.
To rally more support and information leading to the arrest of the murderer of their colleague, some medical doctors in Ghana raised GH¢5,000 as reward money for whoever would provide information leading to the arrest of the suspected assailants of the doctor.
Follow ups on the letter almost two months later were met with “We’ll write to you,” from the Public Relations Unit of the CID.
Famillies shocked and angry
Some relatives of the victims of the murder cases are shocked and angry that the police had failed to seek justice for their departed family members.According to them, although jail terms for the perpetrators would not bring back their family members to life, it was their only remaining consolation.
They therefore appealed to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to ensure that the killers of their relatives were arrested and dealt with by law.
“It is sad that all these years, the police even keep us in the dark about what has happened to the investigations,”one family member said.
Memory lane
Almost 10 years ago, gunmen stormed a house at Dome in Accra and gunned down four people, including Kwaku Boateng, a retired accountant of the then Ghana Telecom.The cold-blooded murder shook the community, as the killers left without taking a pin from the house — a fact that put armed robbery as the motive far off.
That incident turned Dome on its head, but almost 10 years down the line, the police are yet to unravel what the Daily Graphic of January 25, 2005 described as a ‘mafia-type revenge killing’.
The Dome incident is one of six cases that have not been resolved by the police, a Daily Graphic research has revealed
Some of the unresolved cases are between a year and almost 10 years old and their trail appears to be growing cold.
Not even monetary rewards meant to encourage the public to offer information that can lead to the arrest of the culprits have been attractive enough to give any leads to help the police capture the perpetrators of the crimes.
The Daily Graphic went down memory lane to retrieve some of the cases that have been unresolved over the last few years.
November 7, 2007
The gruesome murder of a 31-year-old scrap dealer and his 28-year-old girlfriend on November 7, 2007 turned Onyenase at Awoshie, one of the fastest-growing suburbs in Accra, into a scene of tragedy and mourning.Although situated within a notorious neighbourhood, and near the densely populated areas of Ablekuma and Anyaa, Onyenase had not been noted for violent crime and robbery until residents woke up to the real horror of horrors.
According to neighbours, the woman, Irene Emefa Agbei, 28, was a trader at the Rawlings Park in Accra, while her boyfriend was known as Awal. Her wounds indicated that she had been shot twice, one at the back of her shoulder which came out through one of her breasts and the other slightly above her hips.
They were both shot at the same spot and crime scene investigators indicated that whoever fired the shots could have been a good marksman.
In response, the police announced a GH¢2,000 bounty for information leading to the arrest of the assailants. But seven years on, no arrest has been made.
August 4, 2007
The sad end of the two lovebirds at Onyenase was no different from the killing of Ibrahim Seidu, a Stores Superintendent of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) in Abirem Achiase, near Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.Ibrahim was shot in the jaw through the side window of his BMW saloon car at about 10 p.m. while he was about 300 metres away from his house.
The car, with registration number GW 9187 Q, sped off after the gunshot and the assailants fired another shot through the boot. Seidu fell from the car and died instantly. The motive was not clear because nothing, according to the family members, was taken from the car.
Two days after the incident, August 7, 2006, the then Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Patrick Acheampong, despatched a team of investigators to the area, but their efforts did not yield any fruit — no arrest has been made.
September 14, 2010
If the shooting of Seidu was shocking, that of the Chief Executive Officer of Louis Gas, Louis Badu, was chilling.The 43-year-old businessman and owner of one of the largest networks for gas distribution in the country was gunned down in cold blood when armed robbers stormed his residence on the night of September 14, 2010 and bolted with a large amount of money.
Police sources said in the full glare of his family at their Madina Estate residence and amid pleas from his terrified wife, Badu was shot in the chest and head before the gunmen disappeared with the bag containing the money.
Almost four years after the crime, the case is still lying cold in the freezers of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service.
May 2, 2012
On May 2, 2012, residents of Sepe Timpom, a Kumasi suburb, were left in tears and shock after an ex-convict, Kwadwo Yeboah, had stabbed his two children to death and also left his pregnant wife in a pool of blood after a knife attack.Both children — Ama Francisca, one-and-a-half years old and Abena Dwubi, four — had their vital organs exposed when their bodies were found. Their mother, Ama Oforiwaa, however, survived the ordeal after being stabbed in the abdomen.
Yeboah has since been on the run, two years and three months after the sordid act.
May 27, 2012
Even before the dust settled on the horrifying incident at Sepe Timpom, the medical fraternity at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital was thrown into a state of shock when, on May 27, 2012, a 27-year-old junior doctor was found dead under mysterious circumstances in his flat at the hospital.Bloodstains were found in his left armpit and on his scrotum, while bruises were found on his left leg, with blood oozing from his nostrils.
The police at the time could not determine whether the incident was murder or suicide.
To rally more support and information leading to the arrest of the murderer of their colleague, some medical doctors in Ghana raised GH¢5,000 as reward money for whoever would provide information leading to the arrest of the suspected assailants of the doctor.
Police response
The Daily Graphic, in a letter dated August 27, 2014 and submitted to the CID on September 2, 2014, requested the status of the cases, but this has not yielded any fruit.Follow ups on the letter almost two months later were met with “We’ll write to you,” from the Public Relations Unit of the CID.
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