Bantamahene slams police service over silence on ‘mysterious’ deaths

Bantamahene Baffour Owusu Amankwatia IV has taken on the police in the Ashanti Region over what he says is their continuous silence on the mysterious murders involving women in the area.

His comment comes in the wake of calls by various interest groups seeking justice for a nurse at the Sewua Health Centre, who was allegedly murdered at Ayoum in the Bosomtwi District.

Speaking at Tuesday’s Town Hall Meeting and Results Fair in Kumasi, Baffour Amankwatia IV called on the government to urgently tackle the seeming insecurity in the region.

“We are all witnesses to the fact that some mysterious murders have been going on in the Ashanti Region for the past three months. So far as I am concerned, the police who are responsible for our security haven’t talked about it. Those of us in Kumasi have realised that nothing is being done about this. So we have assumed that they are not doing anything about it. These mysterious deaths in Kumasi involve ladies. The police should be up and doing on this matter,” he said.

The lifeless body of Ruth Ama Eshun was found at Ayuom near Sewua in the Bosomtwe District of the Ashanti Region, a few meters to her home last week.

Ms. Eshun was last seen by her colleagues, on Monday, February 3rd, 2020, leaving the Sewua Health Centre, where she worked as a registered community health nurse.

Aside from this recent death, other notable unsolved killings in the region include:

• The suspected murder of a 21-year old woman, Augustina Tindanzor at Ahenema Kokoben New site in Kumasi on 15th January 2020.
• The murder of a middle-aged woman at Kokoben near Asafo Boakye Hospital in the Ashanti Region.
• The killing of Comfort Owusu Afriyie, aka Maame Yaa at the Cedar Crescent Hotel at Denyame in Kumasi.
• The killing of Asamponhene Oheneba Kwadwo Afoduor by armed assailants on the Kumasi Nkoranza road.
• The killing of two women believed to be 25 and 30 years on the 23rd March 2019 near Samad Hotel, Abrepo in Kumasi.
• The killing of a woman believed to be in her late 30s on July 18, 2019, at Santasi-Apire, near Kumasi.

‘I don’t control law courts’ – Regional Minister

The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah had said he cannot be held responsible for unresolved murder cases in the region.

According to him, the law courts are handling these cases and should be held accountable.

“What has been the cause of death of the people who have been killed? Some are family issues. We do not bundle all those ones with other ones that have different causes. Those that were between husband and wife, the cases are in court and I do not control the law court so once the issue gets to the law court, it is the court that handles it so if you want to find out why the cases have been unresolved, you call the court,” he said.

The Minister, who is also the head of the Ashanti Regional Security Council, further indicated that he cannot be held responsible for the security of residents in the Region.

“These are things which are not easy to control. We cannot check everybody’s house. What we have to do is the general security situation. It is not the responsibility of the Council to fix the security problems of families in their homes.”