Seven in Police custody for allegedly killing a 12-year-old for ritual

Some seven persons suspected to have abducted and killed a twelve-year-old boy, Cornelius Negble in Nornyikpor a farming community in the Agortime-Ziope District of the Volta region are in custody of the Volta Regional Police Command.

The deceased was said to have gone missing on Saturday, May 22 2021 at about 0700 hours, and on the same day at about 6:30 pm, the Assemblyman of the area led a team of five to arrest one of the suspects, Senanu Ashitor Atsikpor.

According to the Volta Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of the Police (DCOP, Edward Oduro Kwateng, “Police re-arrested suspect Senanu Ashitor Atsikpor and detained him to assist in investigation.”

Revealing the shocking incident to the media, DCOP Oduro Kwateng noted that, the remaining six suspects, a fetish priest, Kofi Koko 30, Anani Koko, 23, Kwamevi Kagbetor, 37, Louis Etse, 25, Kudzo Akpatsu, 49 and Fianyo Sandema aged 39 have all been arrested separately in their hideouts.

Investigation into the incident

The Police indicated that investigations revealed that, “Senanu Ashitor Atsikpor had acted in concert with two other accomplices to really abduct and killed Cornelius Negble (a 12-year-old boy) for ritual purposes at a shrine at Nudowukorpe near Tadzewu.”

Commander Oduro Kwateng further mentioned that, On 31 May 2021 police returned to the shrine to effect arrest of “abductors and also rescue victim Cornelius Negble but unfortunately the little boy had been killed and the head served and buried in one of the rooms while the body kept in a sack which was heavily infested with maggots.”

Further investigation revealed that, suspect Senanu Ashitor aged 28 deals in human parts and promised to get the fetish priest, Kofi Koko human parts “to perform sacrifices in building a deity to be named Agbevor.”

Exhibits recovered by the Police

A search by the Police in the shrine has recovered a motorbike with registration number M-19-VR-1348 used in conveying body of the victim, a single slipper of Senanu Ashitor and a duster belonging to one of the suspects Anani Koko.

Other items include one pair of black slippers of the deceased recovered from where the killing took place, a set of dresses belonging to the fetish priest but found at the end of Senanu Ashitor and all items are currently with the Police for evidential purposes.

Escape and arrest of the suspects

Five of the suspects were arrested in their hideouts in their various localities but the fetish priest, Kofi Koko and his brother Anani Koko have escaped into the republic of Togo through unapproved route in Aflao.

DCOP Odoru said, upon realizing that the two suspects are on the run into the neighboring country, the Police on 18 June 2021 secured a warrant of arrest and extradition order from the court “to enable the arrest of the escapees suspects in the republic of Togo.”

He said on 19 June 2021 “Interpol Togo succeeded in arresting Kofi Koko and his brother Anani Koko in Voga of Togo and extradited the two to Ghana to assist in investigation.”

The Police told the media that, “five out of the seven suspects have admitted their roles played in the murder of Cornelius Negble, they further catalogue the role each played in the commission of the crime “

The seven suspects have already appeared at the Agortime-Ziope District Magistrate Court for committal proceedings and the case presided over by Justice Samuel Essel Walker has adjourned the case to 5 July 2021.

Meanwhile, the Police made it known that another suspect, known as Moris has since been on the run hence the general public is advised to feed the Ghana Police Service when come across a suspicious person.