Tarkwa: The Tarkwa District Court One has remanded nine accused individuals into prison custody following allegations of their involvement in the murder of a cab driver in Akotom, located in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality of the Western Region. The accused, appearing for the third time in court, face charges of conspiracy to commit crime and murder, although their pleas have not yet been taken. Their next court appearance is scheduled for Monday, March 3, 2025.
According to Ghana News Agency, Prosecuting Police Sergeant Enoch Assan Donkor presented the case before the court, presided over by Mr. Charles Owusu Nsiah. The complainant, a businessman residing in Huniso, identified the deceased as Kwadwo Donkor, also known as 'Chilling', who was his employee. The accused individuals include Nana Kwabena Agyarko, 45, Evans Azure alias Ampana, 40, Peter Kwamena Antwi, 34, Felix Atsu Davor, 38, Sampson Agbodojie, 30, Kojo Bonzy, 72, Stephen Owusu alias Kofi Abanga, 38, Kofi Ampabeng, 38, and Lucky Mudoo, 30. Their professions range from teachers and masons to drivers and farmers.
The prosecutor detailed that on the morning of November 8, 2024, the deceased left home for work in his taxicab but failed to return. After unsuccessful attempts to contact him, the complainant reported his disappearance to the police on November 9, 2024. During the investigation, a tip-off revealed that a suspect named Sheriffa, who remains at large, falsely accused the deceased of theft, leading to his capture by the accused and some community youth.
The accused allegedly tied the deceased to an electric pole and subjected him to severe beatings, resulting in his death. They then transported his body in a tricycle and abandoned it in a bush along the Tarkwa-Bogoso Highway, approximately 1.5 kilometers from Akotom.
On November 10, 2024, Agyarko was apprehended and initially denied involvement but later confessed, implicating Antwi and others. He led police to the location of the deceased's body, which was found in an advanced state of decomposition. Further arrests were made following police intelligence, culminating in the detention of all accused individuals.
The prosecutor concluded that a duplicate docket of the investigation has been forwarded to the Attorney General's office in Sekondi for further review and guidance.
