Kikibees murder case: Lawyer refutes police facts presented to the court

Ralph Poku-Adusei, the legal representative for the family of Bennet Agyekum Adomah, the late owner of Kikibees Restaurant and Lounge, has raised concerns about the police's handling of the murder case against Mam Yandeh Joof, the woman accused of killing Adomah.

In an interview with Asaase News, Poku-Adusei expressed his opinion that the police investigation into Adomah's death has been inadequate.

Poku-Adusei argues that the prosecution has relied solely on the unverified statement provided by the accused, Mam Yandeh Joof, and has failed to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding Adomah's death.

He stated, "I have carefully read and analysed the brief facts of the case as presented by the police in their charge, and I have concluded that the police have failed to live up to their duty of conducting any professional investigations into the circumstances that led to the death of the husband of my client, Claudia Akuoko."

Of particular concern to Poku-Adusei and his client is the police's inclusion of certain details in the case, such as the assertion that the deceased was 'hyper,' despite the fact that the autopsy report has not yet been finalised.

Poku-Adusei emphasised, "I was rather expecting that the police would wait for the autopsy report before drawing any conclusions on the matter."

Mam Yandeh Joof was initially arraigned on October 12, 2023, at the Madina District Court to commence committal proceedings. She is scheduled to return to court on October 27 for the case to proceed further.

The police provided the following summary of the case: "Deceased Bennet Agyekum Adomah, aged 40, was the owner of KIKIBEES Restaurant and Lounge, located at East Legon and Kwabenya, respectively. Suspect Mam Yandeh, aged 31, is a Gambian and a hotelier living in Ghana. The deceased and the suspect were in an amorous relationship for the past three years. About three months ago, the deceased travelled abroad and returned to Ghana on the evening of October 7, 2023."

"The deceased arrived at his residence at East Legon from the airport around 6 p.m. He took some rest, and later in the night, around 8 p.m., he left the house for the Kikibees Restaurant and Lounge at East Legon. At about 12.30 am on October 8, 2023, the deceased left the Kikibees restaurant to visit the suspect in her apartment at Ogbojo."

The police account continued: "Later in the night, at about 1.30 am, the deceased suddenly became hyper and started behaving strangely and throwing things in the room while shouting that some people were chasing him. The other tenants in the house were awoken by the noise. The suspect rang the close friend of the deceased and informed him to come to her apartment to assist her, but the friend came and found the deceased lying in a pool of blood in the kitchen, throwing his hands about."

"The tenants in the house assisted them and took him to DEL Hospital at East Legon, but he was pronounced dead shortly on arrival. The death was reported to the police, and the body was conveyed to the Police Hospital mortuary for preservation and autopsy.

During inspection at the scene, pieces of broken ceramic glass with bloodstains were found in the apartment. The body was inspected, and a cut was found on the left thumb of the deceased. The investigation is ongoing."

Ralph Poku-Adusei has called for a more comprehensive investigation, arguing that it is premature for the police to release details of the case, especially when the autopsy report is pending. He expressed concern that the facts presented by the police cannot be verified and should not be the basis for prosecution. Poku-Adusei urged the Ghana Police Service's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to withdraw the current case and conduct a thorough and professional investigation into Bennet Agyekum Adomah's murder.

He also called on the general public and social media users to refrain from speculating about the case, allowing Claudia Akuoko and her five children to mourn their husband and father in peace.

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NAY/SEA