Two murder suspects assist police

Two farmers – Edward Arthur and Kwame Asamoah- are assisting the police in their findings into how another farmer, Dickson Kumi, 42, got shot in the head through his  bathroom  window by an unknown gunman at Agona Otwekrom in the Central Region.

Arthur, aka Kofi Atta, 56, and Asamoah, 49, had reportedly been issuing death threats to Kumi for allegedly opposing the dispute in the town.

Kumi, aka  kofi Kakraba, however, survived that gunshot.

When they appeared before the  Agona Swedru District Court on the charges of conspiracy and attempt to commit murder, the  Presiding Magistrate of the Breman Asikuma Court, Mr Clement  Kwasi Asamoah, did not take their pleas.

Mr Asamoah, however, remanded the duo into police custody to enable the police to unravel who the actual  assailant was  and also  ascertain whether or not those pellets found on the scene came from the shot gun found in a fertilizer sack near the scene.

Their defence counsel, Mr J. Nicholas Nkrumah, an Accra-based legal practitioner, stated that about nine persons had been nabbed and released by the police, while Arthur and Asamoah were being held on suspicion.

Mr Nkrumah added that there was no linkage between the offences and the duo as to who fired that gun, nor was there any linkage as to whether the pellets came from that gun or not.

Inspector Mensah informed the court that Kumi is a farmer based at Agona Otwekrom.

According to the prosecutor, there has been a protracted chieftaincy dispute in the town for some  time now, for which reason the duo had been issuing death threats to Kumi for  opposing the local chief.

Inspector Opoku Mensah said about a fortnight ago, Asamaoh went to Kumi’s father and threatened to kill Kumi if he failed to open a grinding mill he had put under lock and key.

Then about a week ago, Arthur too threatened to deal with Kumi for opposing the local chief, the prosecutor stated further.

He said on April 19, 2014, Kumi fell  asleep while watching TV in the evening  and about 2:29 a.m. on April 20, 2014, his wife woke him up to take his bath, since he did not do so  the previous evening.

According to inspector Opoku Mensah, Kumi entered the bathroom and  was in the process of washing down when a gunshot came through the window from an unknown gunman.

He stated further that Kumi got hit in the head and was rushed to the Agona Swedru Municipal Hospital where he was admitted and discharged on April 21, 2014. 

The prosecutor said following the arrest of the duo, the police conducted a search around the scene and recovered a 5B shotgun concealed in a fertilizer sack hidden in an uncompleted building. 

According to inspector Opoku Mensah, Arthur claimed ownership of that weapon but he (Arthur) could not tell why he hid it there.

The court adjourned the case to a later date.