27-year-old man slashes cousin’s throat at Gomoa Obuasi

The otherwise quiet Gomoa Obuasi community in the Gomoa Central District in the Central Region was last Monday afternoon thrown into a state of disbelief and shock when a 27-year-old graduate of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) slashed his cousin’s throat with a machete.

The suspect, identified as James Annan, who completed his undergraduate studies at the UCC in 2017, allegedly slashed the throat of Michael Botchwey, 21, who just completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) and is expected to graduate next month.  

After the incident, Botchwey was quickly rushed to the Swedru Government Hospital by some family members and eyewitnesses but he was pronounced dead on arrival.

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Information gathered indicated that Annan and Botchwey, together with two others, had gone to Botchwey’s father’s citrus farm to undertake some farming activities on that fateful day.

They returned home with some oranges and all four sat outside the house to peel some of the oranges for their consumption.

In the course of that, Annan asked Botchwey to lift up his head and show his neck, only for Annan to then use the machete he was using to peel the oranges to slash Botchwey’s throat.

Botchwey fell down unconscious and was quickly rushed to the hospital but was confirmed dead on arrival.

The incident attracted hundreds of people to the scene, who could not fathom what might have pushed Annan to allegedly engage in such a barbaric act.

Confirmation

Confirming the incident to the Daily Graphic last Tuesday, the Agona Swedru District Commander of the Ghana Police Service, Superintendent Seth Yirenkyi, said one Yaw Asare, together with others, arrested the suspect after the incident and handed him over to the Gomoa Obuasi Police.

He said when the police carefully examined Botchwey’s body, they saw a deep cut in the throat.

Meanwhile, the police say they are yet to take a formal statement from the suspect, who is currently in police custody, assisting in further investigations.