The headquarters of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), in collaboration with the Ashanti Regional Police Command of the Ghana Police Service, has arrested 18 suspects including one woman believed to have been involved in the recent killings in the Kumasi metropolis.
Since December and the beginning of this year, there have been reports of violent crime in Kumasi, Ashanti Region, leading to the death of four men.
Commissioner of Police (COP) Prosper Kwame Agblor, Director General of the CID, yesterday told journalists in Accra that out of the 18 people who had been picked up, 14 had been put before court while the rest were being processed.
Taking journalists through actions taken in line with the recent killings, which have been describe by some as serial murder or contract killings, the Director General said “there is no cause for alarm.”
He urged the residents to carry out their daily activities while observing personal security as the police administration, for its part, had adopted policies aimed at enhancing security through police visibility patrols.
The press briefing focused on the last four people killed in the Kumasi metropolis namely Kwadwo Asamoah alias Gausu, Prince Opoku Anto, Joe Adusah Ayison and Isaac Turkson.
The CID Director General said Police investigation had established that Kwadwo Asamoah was a member of a gang and was killed when his group clashed with a rival gang which also led to the death of one Victor Okrah, who did not belong to any of the groups but happened to be at the drinking spot where the incident took place.
Ten suspects including Yaw Boateng alias Aliki, 28, Hadi Awudu alias Mad Lion, 23, Sheila Boakye, 25, Abukari Kasim, 27, Baba Alhassan Yunus, 20, and Mahama Lawal alias Alhaji, 19.
The rest are Abdul Aziz Iliasu, 17, Mohammed Belo Gyimah, 58, Jibril Mohammed Alais Mufus, 27 and Umaru Farouk alias Seaman, 26.
Though three other suspects are on the run, the 10 who have been arrested have been put before court and remanded in prison custody.
“They are scheduled to re-appear on July 15, 2013. Strenuous efforts are being made to apprehend the suspects on the run,” COP Agblor said.
The CID boss said Prince Opoku Anto and Joe Adusah Ayison, on the other hand, were murdered by armed robbers, while Isaac Turkson was murdered by an acquaintance who was settling a personal score.
Prince Opoku Anto, a National Service person, was killed on May 11, 2013 at 11.30am when he went to Jack City Pub at Dichemso with his friends to have fun.
While there, five young men, armed with locally made pistol, attacked and robbed customers at the pub of their mobile phones and unspecified sums of money.
However, Prince Opoku Anto, who resisted the robbers attempt to take his mobile phone, was shot in the head by one of the robbers and died instantly.
So far, four suspects including Yaw Wiafe, 21, alias Papa Yaw or Azure, Naa Hemah Quaye, 17, Humu Seidu 27 and Kofi Banahene Alias Yaayo, 25, have been arrested. One other is on the run and police say there are efforts underway to apprehend him.
They were put before court and remanded in prison custody, to reappear on July 17.
Four others who killed Joe Adusah Ayison, a security man on May 20, 2013 at 2:15am, while he was on duty at the Ashfood Court Hotel in Kumasi, have also been arrested.
On that day, a group of armed robbers shot him dead and stole a laptop.
According to the CID chief, one of the suspects, Alex Ofosu alias Paa Kwesi who was arrested at Kasoa on July 9, 2013, led the police to Kronum, a suburb of Kumasi, where the weapon used in committing the crime, a locally made pistol with eleven rounds of live BB cartridges were retrieved from the roof of a building.
He said the laptop was later recovered at Obuasi and the receiver, Michael Dasah, aged 26, was arrested.
The most recent murder occurred on July 4, 2013 involving Isaac Turkson, a metal fabrication teacher at the Kumasi Technical Institute (KT).
On the said day at 3:30am while the deceased was studying in his room at Akotoso in Kumasi, an unidentified person visited him.
The unknown assailant shot the welding teacher and he was pronounced dead when he was rushed to the hospital by his wife.
“Nothing was stolen from the house. No arrest has yet been made. I can confirm that the murderer was known to the deceased and that he perpetrated this heinous crime to settle a personal score. We are working assiduously to solve this case.”
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