General News of Thursday, 16 January 2003

Source: The Ghanaian Times

Accra Poly student held for murdering colleague

Joshua James Amengor, a third year student of the Accra Polytechnic has been arrested by the Accra Central Police in connection with the murder of another student at a canteen adjacent to the school, on 2 December 2002.

A police source confirmed this to the “Times” in Accra yesterday. The source said that, Amengor, 21, surrendered himself to the school authorities 18 days after Napoleon Cudjoe Amedeka, 24, an old student of the school was clubbed to death following a quarrel at the canteen.

Amengor was subsequently arraigned before court and was remanded to appear before court again on 20 January. The source said that the accused stopped coming to school immediately after the death of Amedeka but surfaced after three weeks later.

During interrogation, the source said Amengor told the police that by scaling a wall into the canteen instead of using the entrance, the deceased brought dust into the food he and his colleagues were eating and this resulted in an argument and a fight.

It is recalled that Amedeka, who went to the Polytechnic on that day 2 December 2002 to check his result was allegedly hit on the head with a club from behind by Amengor and his friends. He immediately collapsed and was rushed to the 37 Military Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Information gathered by the Police indicated that, the deceased and his friend went to the “Bread of Life” canteen to eat but they refused to use the entrance to the canteen. Instead, they scaled a short wall to the annoyance of Amengor and his friends who were also eating at the canteen.

This resulted in a quarrel, which ended in a fight with the deceased and his friend gaining the upper hand. Embarrassed, Amengor and his friends left the scene when the going got though but returned within a few minutes with clubs and other implements, and while the deceased was eating, he was hit on the head leading to his sudden death.