Crime & Punishment of Wednesday, 11 November 2009

Source: GNA

Togolese Paedophile arrested by Tema DOVVSU

Tema, Nov 11,GNA - The Tema Regional Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, has arrested a suspected paedophile at Kpone-Kokompe near Tema for performing oral sex on boys. Mawuli Amegaji, a 45-year-old mason, and a native of Aveve in Togo, was arrested at about 0530 hours on Tuesday morning at his residence at Kpone-Kokompe.

This followed a report made to the Kpone Police by the father of the victims, aged eight and eleven. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Rebecca Nyamah, Tema Regional DOVVSU Co-ordinator, told the Ghana News Agency that the father of the victims received information from neighbours that for some time now, they had been seeing his two sons in the residence of the suspect who was known for such acts.

ASP Nyamah stated that upon intensive questioning, the victims who initially refused to confide in their father, narrated their ordeal to him. She said according to the victims, the suspect sucked their sex organs while he masturbated.

After the act, Amegaji gave to his victims monies ranging from 50 pesewas to one Ghana cedis, candies and at times footballs. The DOVVSU Co-ordinator indicated that Amegaji bolted into the bush and when caught up with, he struggled with policemen resulting in the injury of some of personnel and victims' father.

ASP Nyamah said, upon interrogation, Amegaji confessed having committed the offence, and disclosed that he saw the boys as women during the act. Amegaji told the Ghana News Agency that he started the act at the age of 13, and as a result, he was not married, neither has he children. He said he had no sexual feeling for women due to the satisfaction he derives from either sucking the penis, or having anal sex with boys between the ages of eight and 12. Amegaji who has lost count of his victims said, he had practised the act in many countries including Nigeria, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Chad and Cote D'Ivoire.

He indicated that he had earlier served three-months imprisonment in Ghana for a similar offence adding he had lived in Ghana for the past eight years. His arrest came barely a month after the imprisonment of Patrick Kent Labash, a 65-year-old retired American teacher, who defiled seven children at Adjomankope near Sege in the Dangme East District, which is under the jurisdiction of the Tema Regional Police Command. The GOVVSU Co-ordinator called on the public to volunteer information on activities of people who molested children sexually, as the Police were determined to deal with such miscreants. 11 Nov 09