Cobra bites pupil to death

Breman Asikuma (C/R), Sept. 20, GNA- Efuah Otrah, a four and half year old Pupil of Cheraka District Assembly Kindergarten died on her way to hospital on Tuesday, after being bitten by a black cobra. The incident occurred at an akpeteshie-distilling site where her uncle works at Breman cheraka, in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa district of the Central Region.

Detective Police Sergeant Ransford Cobblah, who briefed the Ghana News Agency at Breman Asikuma said the uncle of the deceased, Mr. Kobina Sakyi told the police that on the 18th September 2007, Otrah returned from school but did not meet her mother at home. Sergeant Cobbina said the uncle claimed Otrah came to him at an akpeteshie distilling camp at the outskirt of the town where he had gone to visit some friends whose names were given as Kweku Nyarko and Kwesi Darpah.

According to the police the uncle told them that the deceased on arrival later decided to sleep so they prepared a place under a cocoa tree near the camp for her.

The Uncle said later, one of his friends, Kweku Nyarko drew their attention to a big cobra on the cocoa tree the girl was sleeping under and they decided to kill it, the police said. He said while trying to kill it, the furious cobra managed to descend from the tree, chased them away and returned to bite the girl who was still sleeping under the cocoa tree. He said the child died on the way to the Breman Asikuma Hospital, the uncle told the police.

The body of the diseased has been deposited at the Hospital's Mortuary for autopsy, while the three persons who are helping the police in their investigations have since been granted police enquiry bail.