Police arrest key suspect in Abuakwa murder

The Police have arrested a twenty-three-year-old man, Abraham Akwasi Agyei, suspected to have murdered the thirteen-year-old boy in cold blood and inflicted machete wounds on mother and sister of the deceased at their residence at Abuakwa in the Atwima Nwabiagya District of the Ashanti Region.

The suspect was arrested Friday evening at IPT Junction, Asuoyeboah in Kumasi after crack investigators from the Homicide Unit of the Police Headquarters in Accra were dispatched to Abuakwa to help in investigations into the gruesome murder.

The investigators had since March 11, 2013 spread their network across the country with the intention of arresting one key suspect of the crime.

They had already arrested two suspects – Pastor James Akwasi Appau, 42 and his 64-year old uncle, Kofi Agyei - on Monday March 11, 2013 to assist in investigations.

According to the Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mohammed Yusif Tanko the arrest of Abraham brings to five the number of suspects arrested by the police so far.

He said checks made by the police have showed that Abraham is a related family member of the deceased pastor Opoku who had had several confrontations with his wife Felicity due to some misunderstanding that broke between the two.

He said on the said Friday evening at around 5.30, police investigators spot Abraham walking on the road side at IPT Junction, Asuoyeboah holding a machete and arrested him for interrogation as part of investigations by the police to unravel the mystery surrounding the death of the innocent young Opoku.

ASP Tanko disclosed that Mrs Opoku was discharged from the Hospital last Monday and had been helping the police in investigations.

He however, assured the general public that the police were doing all possible best to bring the culprit to book.

On early morning of Monday March 11, 2013, an unknown assailant who was in mask and brandishing a sharp machete almost severed the head of young Isaac Opoku, a junior high school pupil when he was sleeping with his mother and three other family members.

The assailant after the murdering Opoku turned the machete on his widow mother, Mrs Felicity Opoku and his sister, Rita Opoku and inflicted multiple wounds on the bodies causing them to bleed profusely.

Body of young Opoku of had since been deposited at the morgue of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) for autopsy.

This had happened two weeks after the death of Mrs Opoku’s husband - Pastor Johnson Opoku – who was the Head Pastor of the King Jesus Anointing Fire Ministry at Asuoyeboah in Kumasi.

Story by Joseph Kyei Boateng