BY NADIA NTIAMOAH
A suspected case of mob justice in the Assin South District of the Central Region has resulted in the arrest of a father and his son following the alleged killing of a 31-year-old man at Assin Akrofuom.
The suspects, identified as Joseph Mensah and his son, Anthony Mensah, are accused of assaulting Samuel Kofi Amankwa, popularly known in the community as Kofi Marshie, after allegedly accusing him of stealing a half bag of fresh cocoa beans.
The incident has triggered concern among residents after accounts emerged that the deceased was allegedly dragged from his room, tied to an electricity pole and subjected to severe beatings before collapsing and dying.
Preliminary accounts suggest that the confrontation may have been influenced by earlier accusations of theft involving Amankwa, including allegations that he had stolen coconut seedlings belonging to the suspects.
According to the Asona Abusuapanin of Assin Akrofuom, Nana Kofi Ohemeng, the deceased was reportedly asleep when the suspects allegedly went to his room, forcibly removed him and assaulted him.
He alleged that Amankwa was taken from his room, which was approximately 500 metres from the location where the attack occurred.
Nana Ohemeng further suggested that the incident was not an isolated disagreement over cocoa beans, but may have been connected to previous tensions between the deceased and the suspects over alleged theft of coconut seedlings.
The deceased’s sister, Ama Bimpomaa, also gave a disturbing account of the alleged attack, claiming that her brother was tied to an electricity pole with a rope and beaten repeatedly until he collapsed.
She maintained that the suspects had previously accused Amankwa of stealing their coconut seedlings and believed the latest confrontation was linked to those earlier allegations.
The Central North Regional Crime Officer, Chief Superintendent Edmund Agyemang Badu, confirmed that Joseph Mensah and Anthony Mensah had been arrested and were in police custody assisting with investigations.
According to the Crime Officer, the two suspects reported themselves to the police following the incident.
He disclosed that one of the suspects stated in his caution statement that he had confronted Amankwa after allegedly catching him stealing half a bag of fresh cocoa beans.
Following the report, a team of police officers proceeded to the scene, where they found the deceased lying on his back near an electricity pole.
The officers also retrieved a nylon rope suspected to have been used to tie the deceased to the pole during the alleged assault.
Chief Superintendent Agyemang Badu said a preliminary examination of the body revealed visible bruises on the deceased’s hands, eyebrows and waist.
The injuries, according to the police, appeared consistent with an assault, although the exact cause of death is expected to be established through a post-mortem examination.
The body has since been conveyed to the morgue at St. Francis Xavier Hospital in Assin Fosu, where it has been deposited pending an autopsy.
The two suspects are currently facing provisional charges of murder and are expected to be arraigned before the Assin Fosu District Court as police investigations continue.
