The Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Alban Bagbin has underscored the need for residents of the Upper West Region to peacefully coexist.

He challenged residents to draw lessons from the death of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Royal Cozy Hills Hotel (Jirapa Dubai), Mr Eric Johnson, who he described as humble, soft-spoken, soft-hearted, compassionate, and God-fearing.

Paying tribute to the 60-year-old at his funeral in Jirapa last Saturday, Bagbin lauded the achievements chalked by the late businessman in rendering services to both the Upper West Region and the country.

“He lived and touched the lives of each other. We know him very well, I have not witnessed a crowd like this for many years in this part of our country at a funeral.

"There are lessons for us to learn, don’t just concentrate over the mourning, let’s learn the lessons, and let’s learn to live together,” he disclosed adding: “We are here not just to mourn, but also to celebrate his life and to thank the almighty God for what he has done, the blessings he has given us, the blessings that Eric has shared with so many, and particularly to touch the hearts of the immediate family, especially the children.”

Background

Mr. Eric Johnson, a businessman was stabbed to death by unknown assailants at his home on February 11, 2024, and was found in a pool of blood the following morning according to a police situational report.

The motive behind the dastardly act is still not known but seven persons including staff of the hotel have been arrested and assisting the police with their investigations.

The suspects include; Dookuuri Fausta, Braimah Kasim, Beyuo Felix, and Michael Klugey, who are all workers at his hotel and Kumbata Kwaku.

The others are; Charles Tuoze and Favour Nuobe, are both workers at the hotel.

He left behind three children including; Grace Johnson, Karen Johnson and Elfreda Erica Johnson and two grandchildren.