Kumasi hotel shooting: Suspect remanded, bench warrant issued for wife’s arrest

The prime suspect in the shooting to death of a restaurant operator on New Year’s Day, has been remanded into police custody by the Asoka District Court.

Edwin Awuku, described as a chief driver of Bank of Ghana in Kumasi, who allegedly shot Comfort Owusu Afriyie at Cedar Crescent Hotel made his first appearance in court on Friday.

The court also issued a bench warrant for the arrest of his wife, Belinda Awuku, after she failed to appear before the court, without any explanation.

Mother of the deceased (in black) led the family in court

A packed courtroom, dominated by relatives of the late Comfort Owusu Afriyie and journalists waited in anxiety for the arrival of the accused persons.

Edwin Awuku was soon ushered in, with a bandaged left hand, obviously from injuries he sustained in the shooting incident.

Spotting a pair of black khaki trouser over striped Lacoste T-Shirt and black pair of slippers, he kept his face down throughout court proceedings.

Not even insinuations and aspersions cast at him by relatives of his victim could move him.

The prosecution told the court that Awuku, a Chief Driver with the Bank of Ghana, drove the deceased in his Honda Accord vehicle with registration number GW 1035 – 19 for an outing on January 1, 2020.

The two first spent time at Plus 2 Pub at Nhyiaeso before checking in at the Cedar Crescent Hotel at Danyame.

According to prosecution, the two then left their hotel room to buy meat and drinks and returned only for Awuku reportedly to shoot his partner. The deceased, according to police bled to death.

Comfort Owusu Afriyie bled to death

The accused sneaked out of the hotel room to his Amakom home, confided in his wife and hid the gun and mobile phones including that of the deceased behind a Hisense fridge in the couple’s kitchen.

Upon a second thought, the couple returned to the hotel to raise an alarm that armed robbers had killed the lady.

Through police intelligence, mobile phones the accused claimed had been stolen by the robbers and gun were retrieved.

Prosecution pleaded with the court to remand the accused into police custody and a bench warrant to be issued for the arrest of the second accused person, Belinda Awuku.

Lawyer for accused, Twum Barimah, dismissed the charges while pleading for bail for his client to enable him to seek medical attention.

Presiding magistrate, Rosemarie Afua Asante, remanded the accused to re-appear on January 24.