Press release by Saviefe Traditional Area in respect to the death of Francis Senyo Dorheame

The Saviefe Traditional Area and the entire community is appalled and deeply disappointed at an unwarranted, fabricated and malicious twist of facts across many media networks and social media platforms following the disappearance and subsequent discovery of the lifeless body of the late Francis Senyo Dorheame, a basic school teacher at Saviefe Agorkpo.

There have been incessant unwarranted attacks by some media establishments resulting in verbal attacks and threats of the lives of the people of the Saviefe community on live radio broadcasts. The motive of the promoters of these unbridled attacks on the harmless people of Saviefe eludes our understanding.

We believe these individual radio presenters, if they were trained journalists, should be abreast with the code of conduct and journalistic ethics of information gathering and dissemination, they would have been measured in their choice of words having in mind the sensibilities of their audience, the bereaved family and the good people of Saviefe Traditional area.

The late Francis Senyo Dorheame came to teach at Saviefe Agorkpo E. P. Basic School in September 2016. He associated well with many and was an active participant in church activities. He also regularly played football with the youth, mingled well with everyone and was loved by all in Saviefe.

On Friday June 23, 2023 at about 3 pm, the school's headmaster informed a community elder, Togbe Apeh, of their colleague's disappearance on Wednesday June 20, 2023. The teachers did not want a community search action and only wanted to inform the chiefs of the situation.

The teachers led by the headmaster had already reported the case to the Ghana Police at Dzolokpuita for them to assist in finding their colleague. The chiefs of Saviefe Agorkpo were not satisfied with that arrangement and therefore called
the entire community and started their investigations.

The youth of the community were tasked to go in search of the teacher after two community members confirmed seeing him on their way from the farm on Wednesday June 21, 2023. The search party conducted their search till 7pm on that same Friday but could not find him.

At about the early hours of Saturday June 24, the Mankrado of Saviefe Togbe Ameworlor received a call that alleged the teacher had been seen at Kpedze. The Police were notified and a team was immediately dispatched to Kpedze, Hornuta, Aflakpe and Klave with his pictures but this also proved abortive.

The entire community was summoned again on Saturday June 24 and a search party was dispatched again only for his decomposing maggot-engulfed body to be found hanging on a yellow nylon rope knotted to a cocoa tree.

The scene was reported to the Ghana Police who retrieved the body for further investigation.

It is intriguing to note that Dorheame took two separate loans of GH₵ 1000 on Tuesday June 19 to June 20 from a mobile money vendor in Saviefe Agorkpo, the very day he went missing. Again, he sold his 40-inch flat-screen television the previous weekend to a community member for GH₵1500 and it is common knowledge among his colleague teachers that he was in serious financial distress.

We would also like to state that social media reports of police leaving shreds of evidence on the crime scene is not true and should be grossly disregarded.

As a community, we have been cooperating with all relevant agencies and the bereaved families in the quest to unravel the true cause of the death of the late teacher.

It is to establish that education in Saviefe is not new and we have been living peacefully with teachers from different communities since time immemorial. Currently, we have more than one hundred workers from the Ghana Health Service, Ghana Education Service and the Ghana Cocoa Board who are not indigenes but are living and working peacefully in Saviefe.

Due to the sensitive nature of this case coupled with the defamatory statements peddled by some ill-informed radio station presenters, the Saviefe Traditional Area would like to call on the Ghana Police Service to expedite action in conducting an autopsy on the body of our dear late teacher and conclude investigations on the case as soon as possible.

We further suggest that the findings of the investigative authorities be made public to unravel the true cause of the death of Francis Dorheame. While commiserating with the bereaved family, teachers and the Ghana Education Service waiting for the autopsy and police reports on their findings, we plead with the entire nation and the good people of Ghana, the Traditional Councils of Ho and Anfoega to exercise restraint and have faith in the Ghana Police Service for the peaceful settlement of this matter.

Again, we call on the Volta Regional Peace Council and the Ghana Police to take note of the incessant and intemperate use of hate speech by some panelists and radio commentators and its propensity to sparking mayhem and injuring the peace of the people of Saviefe.

The act of these individuals should be controlled to avert refueling an already volatile situation. The people of Saviefe have coexisted peacefully and intermarried with communities both far and near for centuries and are very proud of this enviable relationship.

We would not want this isolated incident to bring vendetta between us and any other community or communities. We are aware of the fear and panic that the media reports have created among members of the community. The Saviefe Traditional Area urges all to present any evidence to the police.

We also urge the police to invite all persons and media stations who made
categorical statements concluding the deceased teacher was murdered for questioning to assist the police unravel the true cause of death. We also want to use this medium to reassure all those staying at Saviefe that they can go about their lawful activities without any fear.

In conclusion, we urge all media houses and concerned Ghanaians to feel free and speak with chiefs and elders of Saviefe if they need first-hand information on the issue.