J.B. Danquah-Adu's 'killer arrested' (updated)
A man suspected to have killed the late Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North, Mr Joseph Boakye Danquah-Adu has been arrested by the police.
The yet-to-be-named suspect was arrested in an operation led by the Accra Regional Police Commander, COP Dr George A. Dampare, at Thursday dawn.
Police sources told Graphic Online that the suspect was still being interrogated to establish whether he acted alone or had other accomplices.
He has allegedly confessed to stabbing the MP to death.
Three mobile phones, two of which belonged to Mr Danquah-Adu, were retrieved from the suspect, according to the police.
He is expected to be handed over to the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), whose officials worked throughout the night with personnel of the Accra Regional Police to arrest the suspect in Accra.
“Details are still unfolding and we cannot go beyond the fact that the suspect has been arrested,” Dr Dampare confirmed to Graphic Online's reporter Emelia Ennin Abbey.
He said the police were still following up on other leads and it was “therefore, premature to give out even the suspect’s name”.
Dr Dampare said the BNI would officially hand over the suspect to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) after interrogation and other due procedures had been followed.
“We give glory to God for this,” he said.
Suspects pictures on social media
The police are yet to release the name and photos of the suspect but his images have gone viral on social media.
Police are yet to confirm if that was really the suspect. Graphic Online understands that the police command was not happy about the leakage of the images.
Earlier arrest
Six persons were earlier invited by the police for questioning soon after the MP was pronounced dead at the Police Hospital in Accra last Tuesday.
Later, five out of the six persons were said to have been released on Wednesday.
The Police last Wednesday put a bounty of Ghc10,000 on the head the killer of the MP and urged the public to offer credible information that could lead to the arrest of the assailant.
Information picked up indicates that the arrest was facilitated with information provided through a Member of Parliament by an informant. That informant claimed to have overheard a conversation about the plot, but did not know about the target until news of the MP's death was announced.
Background
The 50 year-old MP for Abuakwa North was attacked by unidentified assailants at his residence at Shiashie, near the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange in Accra.
The MP was suspected to have been stabbed multiple times during the attack at about 1:45am.
It is believed the killers used a ladder to help them scale the wall and get into the house. The walls of the house have electrical razor wires.
There was bloodstains on the walls and footprints, which are believed to be those of the attackers, in the backyard.
Members of the MPs household including his wife Ms Ivy Heward Mills and his children were evacuated from the house.
Soon after the news of the murder of the MP broke scores of people, including Members of Parliament, sympathizers of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), family members and friends thronged his residence to commiserate with the bereaved family.
NPP calls for swift investigation
Scores of Politicians including the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho and the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo appealed for thorough investigations into the death of the MP.
The police subsequently assured the general public of its commitment to getting to the bottom of the unfortunate incident.
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