Murder at Madina

A YOUNG woman, aged about 26 years, last Saturday allegedly murdered the wife of his host at Akatsi-Abor, near Madina in Accra.

The deceased, Lydia Attipoe, a 44-year-old mother of three, was the wife of Mr John L. Digbe, Director of Right of the Child Foundation, an NGO based at the Pantang Hospital.

According to sources, the suspect, Margaret Iyen, believed to be a Nigerian, stabbed the deceased several times after a quarrel. She is currently being held at the Madina Police Station.

Whilst the police gave the name of the suspect as Margaret Iyen, the husband of the deceased maintains she is Gladys Agbanyo.

According to the sources, the suspect and her sister, said to be business partners of Mr Digbe, had been staying in the couple’s matrimonial home at Akatsi-Abor for about a year now.

They said there had been a series of quarrels in the house between the suspect and her sister, on one hand, and the deceased, on the other.

At around 12 noon on Saturday, the deceased’s husband left the house, leaving behind his late wife, the daughter, a house-help, the suspect and her sister, whose name was not immediately known.

The sources said around 1.30 p.m., neighbours heard somebody screaming in the house.

They said minutes after the screaming, the suspect came out of the house with blood on her body.

The sources said one Martin and others rushed to the scene only to find Madam Attipoe in a pool of blood. Her daughter and the househelp were also found with some knife wounds.

The neighbours, led by Martin, arrested the suspect and sent her to the Madina Police Station, while the two wounded girls were sent to the hospital for treatment.

When the police got to the scene, implements, including a knife stained with blood, were found, indicating that there had been a scuffle.

Police sources disclosed to the Graphic that Lydia’s daughter told the police that the suspect stabbed the deceased several times.

Several attempts to speak to the deceased’s husband proved futile as he was not ready to divulge any information to the press.

In a telephone interview, Superintendent Patrick Atimbila in charge of the Airport District Police confirmed the story but said the police are still investigating the cause of the murder.

He said but for the co-operation of the public, it would have been difficult for the police to obtain information on the incident.

He said body of the deceased has been deposited at the Police Hospital morgue for autopsy.