Man to stand trial for murder of 2 African-Americans  

A 20-year-old driver has been charged with the murder of two African-Americans at Akwamufie, near Akosombo in the Eastern Region, in May 2015.

Yaw Anokye Frimpong, who was arrested with five others in connection with the murder of the two women, Mamalina Diop and Nzinga Jaana, confessed to killing the women and burying them in a grave he had dug near his farm.

Briefing the Daily Graphic, the Director General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Commissioner of Police Mr Prosper K. Agblor, said Anokye was charged based on the advice of the Attorney- General’s (A-G’s) Department.

 After the CID had completed its investigations, he said, a duplicate docket on the case was forwarded to the A-G’s Department on August 12, 2015.

 Frimpong charged

After three months of studying the facts, Mr Agblor said, the A-G, on November 18, 2015, advised the CID to charge Frimpong with murder, since there was sufficient evidence to do so.

Frimpong, he said, had, therefore, been charged with murder.

The charge statement, Mr Agblor explained, was to enable the A-G to prepare a bill of indictment and summary of evidence for Frimpong to stand trial at the High Court.

 Facts of the case

Diop and Jaana were among a group of African-Americans who acquired a vast tract of land at Akwamufie and later settled on it.

The African-Americans named the community Fihankra.

On May 5, 2015, after some neighbours had become suspicious that the two women had gone missing, the neighbours hired a carpenter to break into the apartment in which the two women lived.

The neighbours found a bloodstained club on the floor of Jaana’s room and a rubber bag covered with bloodstains in a dustbin in the apartment.

A report on the disappearance of the two women was later made to the police and a search led to the discovery of their bodies in a shallow grave near a farm in the community.

During investigations, it was found that Diop and Jaana had been attacked and clubbed to death in their home at about 10 p.m. on May 4, 2015.

Six persons were arrested as part of investigations into the murder and Frimpong, who was one of them, allegedly confessed to killing the two women during interrogation.

Writer’s email: emelia.ennin@graphic.com.gh