Prof. Benneh’s case docket forwarded to A-G for advice

State prosecutors have forwarded the case docket of two suspects allegedly involved in the murder of University of Ghana law lecturer, Professor Emmanuel Benneh, to the Attorney General’s Department for advice.

The Lead Prosecutor, Inspector Ebenezer Teye-Okuffo, made this known to the Kaneshie District Court when the case was called last Wednesday.

With this development, he said, the police had completed investigations into the matter paving the way for trial of the case to begin, depending on advice from the Attorney General (A-G).

Inspector Teye-Okuffo prayed the court, therefore, to adjourn the case since he was waiting for the A-G’s advice.

The court, presided over by Ms Ama Adomako Kwakye, granted the prosecution’s request and adjourned the case to February 24, this year.

Suspects

Ebenezer Kwayisi aka Junior, a 25-year-old apprentice mason, is in court on the charge of murder, while Opambour Agya Badu Nkansah, also known as Enoch and one Kwayisi are being jointly held for conspiracy to commit crime, to wit murder.

Meanwhile, James Nana Womba, the lead suspect, who according to the police confessed to killing Prof. Benneh, died in police custody on October 17, last year.

Wound

Counsel for Nkansah, Mr Larbi Amoah, drew the court’s attention to how his client, who had just been released from hospital, was being treated in police custody.

According to him, for the past one week, his client who still had wounds on his body had not received further medical attention for his wounds.

Mr Amoah further said that it was the suspect’s mother who had to pay money to have his client’s wounds dressed.

The presiding judge asked the case investigator to explain why Nkansah was not receiving medical attention as required.

The prosecutor told the court that it was the crime officer who was in charge of making funds available for treatment.

He assured the court that he would relay the concerns raised to the crime officer and provide feedback to the court on the next adjourned date.

Facts

Inspector Teye-Okuffo told the court that Akosua Benneh-Akuffo, the complainant, is a niece to the late Prof. Benneh, while Womba, a prime suspect now deceased, was a cleaner in the deceased’s house at Adjiringanor.

He said Womba’s accomplices, namely Nkansah, was unemployed and lived at Ashaiman, near Tema, while Kwayisi resided at Kasoa.

The prosecutor said on September 12, last year about 8 a.m., the deceased was found lying dead in a pool of blood in prone position in a corridor leading to his bedroom, with his hands tied behind him with a white rope and his legs also tied with a green rope just below the knees and a cloth partly inserted into his mouth

The prosecutor said examination on the body of the victim revealed multiple marks of assault on the face.

Inspector Teye-Okuffo said the police also found on the scene, a hand glove, a blood-stained white rope and blood stains on the walls.

He said the body was subsequently deposited at the Police Hospital Mortuary for preservation and autopsy.

Post mortem

Inspector Teye-Okuffo said a post mortem examination was conducted on the deceased’s body on September 21, last year, and the pathologist gave the immediate cause of death as “Asphyxiation, strangulation and suspected homicide”.

He noted that on September 13, last year, Womba was arrested and his fingerprints were taken and sent to the Finger Print Section of the CID Headquarters for examination.

The prosecutor told the court that the result from the examination showed that the fingerprints captured at the crime scene were identical to those of Womba.

He said Womba confessed to the crime during investigation and mentioned Nkansah and Kwayisi as his accomplices. The two were subsequently arrested at their various hideouts.

Investigations

Inspector Teye-Okuffo informed the court that investigations also revealed that during the month of August, last year, Womba contacted Nkansah and hatched a plan with him to murder the victim in his house, following which Womba assigned Nkansah to recruit someone to help execute the plan.

He said two weeks later, Womba contacted Kwayisi to assist him to execute the plan.

He said Kwayisi agreed and on September 10, last year, he went to the victim’s house where he put their plan into action and killed the professor.

It is the case of the prosecution that the accused in their caution statements narrated how each of them conspired with Womba to kill the victim.

Insp. Teye-Okuffo said a duplicate case docket had been forwarded to the Attorney General’s Department for advice.