Crime & Punishment of Monday, 5 June 2006

Source: GNA

Armed robbers killing victim cause confusion in Kyebi

Kyebi (E/R), June 5, GNA - The killing of an opinion leader and a popular photographer of Kyebi, Kweku Temeng, popularly known as Owureku by a group of armed robbers at Oman, a suburb of Kyebi on Friday, nearly led to the break down of law and order in the town. The armed robbers, who were said to about five, got the town about 1900 hours, wearing masks and military uniforms, raided seven houses in the suburb and also slashed the head of one Mr Otu with a cutlass and used the butt of their guns to hit the knees of his wife, leaving her paralysed.

The body of the late Temeng has been deposited at the Kibi Government Hospital for autopsy, while Mr Otu and the wife were on admission at the same hospital.

On hearing of the presence of the armed robbers in the suburb, some Kyebi youths mobilized themselves to support the police to arrest the armed robbers but by the time they got to the scene the armed robbers had already fled the town.

Earlier in the day, some students of Kibi Technical Institute were seen wearing some military uniforms and because of the information that some of the armed robbers were wearing military uniforms aroused the suspicion of the youth of Kyebi, who attacked the students of the school and their masters.

The Kibi District Police Crime Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Huseini Musah Awinaba confirmed the story and said one student of institute was wounded in the incident and was on admission at the Kibi Government Hospital, while others, who sustained some injuries as a result of the attack by the youth had been treated and discharged.

He said the armed robbers made away with mobile phones of their victims and some unspecified amount of money. Mr Awinaba said police investigations revealed that the late Temeng and the wife were in their hall, when the armed robbers started knocking on their door and the wife saw some of them wearing mask and holding some offensive weapons.

He said the wife suspecting the people at the door to be armed robbers ran back into their room to mobilize the children to use the backdoor to escape to the next house, only to return after the armed robbers had left to found the husband shot dead in a pool of blood. He said the police had arrested two of the students of the institute, who were seen wearing some military uniforms to help in their investigations.

Mr Awinaba said the arrested students claimed they were members of the cadet corps of the school. He said two strangers, who were also seen ridding an unregistered motorcycle on Saturday were arrested by the people of Akyem Akwadum on suspicion and had been handed over to the police for questioning.

Mr Awinaba said the police were also questioning two young men, who were found loitering on the compound of Abuakwa State College (ABUSCO) and were arrested by the school authorities and handed over to the police.

He said the two young men claimed to be students of Accra Academy and came to visit some friends at ABUSCO. At the time the Ghana News Agency called at Kibi on Sunday, order had been restored, the town was quiet and everybody was going about their normal duties as usual.