Crime & Punishment of Saturday, 10 January 2015

Source: GNA

Ten-year-old boy murdered, head and other parts missing

The body of a 10-year-old boy, Kobey Bagbeseh from Banu in the Sissala East District has been found in the bush with the head, the left arm and the two feet missing.

He was murdered by unknown assailant when he together with his 8-year-old brother, Ben Bagbeseh accompanied their father, Abugu Bagbeseh, to the farm on Tuesday.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Benjamin Samani, the Sissala East District Police Commander, told the GNA on telephone on Wednesday that the chief of Banu, Pio Ahaji Yakubu, informed the police that the deceased went to the farm with the brother and never returned.

He said the father, realizing that his son was nowhere to be found, quickly conducted a search around the farm but to no avail.

ASP Samani said after the unsuccessful search, Mr. Bagbeseh returned home and reported about his missing son to the Chief the next day who in turn informed the Community Based Anti-Violence Team (COMBAT).

COMBAT conducted a search and found the body in the bush with some parts including the head, the left arm and the two feet missing.

The Sissala East District Police Commander said the eight-year-old younger brother of the deceased told the father that he saw a man suspected to be insane came to the farm, snatched the deceased brother’s cutlass and dashed into the bush.

The boy said his deceased brother chased him into the bush in an attempt to collect the cutlass.

He said later information got to the Chief that some four persons suspected to be carrying human parts were travelling from Bujan towards the Customs barrier in the District on the Tumu/Navrongo road.

The Chief informed COMBAT who traced and got the four suspects arrested with the help of the Customs officials at the barrier.

The District Police Commander gave the names of the four suspects as Abdul-Malik Issaka, Abdul-Rahman Alhassan, Ali Musah and Issaka Alhassan.

He said a search conducted on them revealed human parts.

ASP Samani said the police were then informed and they picked them up, adding that upon interrogation one of them alleged that the human parts were given to them by one Abdulai Mahama from Bujan.

The District Police Commander said Mahama had been arrested and that the five suspects were assisting the police in their investigations.