Prof. Benneh's murder suspect freed

The second suspect in the alleged murder of University of Ghana law lecturer, Professor Emmanuel Benneh, has been discharged by the Kaneshie District Court.

Opambour Agya Badu Nkansah was discharged after the prosecution, led by Inspector Ebenezer Teye-Okuffo, informed the court yesterday that the advice from the Attorney General's (AG's) Office recommended that Nkansah was innocent and should be discharged.

On February 4 this year, the prosecutor informed the court that the case docket had been forwarded to the AG for advice.

After the prosecutor had informed the court about the advice from the AG, Nkansah was set free by the court, presided over by Ms Ama Adomako Kwakye.

Meanwhile, the third suspect, Ebenezer Kwayisi, aka Junior, a 25-year-old apprentice mason, per the advice, is to be charged with abetment of crime, to wit murder.

He was remanded to reappear on April 12 this year.

Nkansah

Prior to his discharge, Nkansah, who had only showed up on January 15 this year, had been absent from court proceedings since October 14 last year.

The prosecution had told the court that Nkansah was indisposed and was receiving treatment at the Police Hospital due to his health condition.

His health became a major issue between his counsel and the prosecution.

He was eventually sent to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital where surgery was performed on him.

He was limping when he first appeared in court after he had been discharged from the hospital.

He was initially facing charges of conspiracy and murder together with the lead suspect, James Nana Womba, who according to the police, confessed to killing Prof. Benneh.

Womba later died in police custody on October 17, 2020.

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.

The prosecutor said on September 12 last year, about 8 a.m., Prof. Benneh was found dead lying in a pool of blood 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, while a cloth was 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.

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 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 investigations 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 in 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.

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