The late Prof. Emmanuel Yaw Benneh
The police have put before court another suspect in the gruesome murder of Prof. Emmanuel Yaw Benneh, who was a Senior Law Lecturer at the University of Ghana.
The suspect, Ebenezer Kwayisi aka Junior, according to the police, is an accomplice of the main suspect, James Nana Womba, who died in custody last week.
Kwayisi is facing charges relating to murder, and the prosecution led by Inspector Robert Teye-Okuffo told the court that they were still investigating the matter and needed some time to consolidate the charges against the accused persons involved.
He said Opambuor Agya Badu Nkansah, another suspect mentioned by Womba, is in custody but has been taken ill and sent to the Police Hospital in Accra.
He added that the prosecution was hoping that the accused person would have been discharged by the next date so that the two cases could be consolidated.
The court presided over by Ama Adomah Kwakye granted the request and adjourned the matter to November 9, 2020.
Suspect’s Death
Inspector Teye-Okuffo told the court about how the lead suspect in murder of the late law lecturer passed on when the issue came up during the hearing.
He said Womba reported ill on October 15 and was rushed to the Police Hospital where he was treated and discharged the same day.
He said on October 16, the accused persons complained of ill-health again and had to be rushed to the Police Hospital again where he was admitted.
“On October 17, 2020, he died while receiving treatment,” Inspector Teye-Okuffo told the court.
He added that a post-mortem was performed on Wombah’s body by one Chief Superintendent Dr. Owusu Afriyie and the police are still waiting for the results.
Gruesome Murder
Prof. Benneh was found dead in a pool of blood on the corridor leading to his bedroom in his Adjiringanor mansion at East Legon, Accra, on September 12.
Womba, 26, a cleaner at Prof. Benneh’s residence, and Badu Nkansah, unemployed, were then arrested and put before the court charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit crime and murder over the killing.
Suspect’s Confession
Before his death, Womba allegedly ‘confessed’ to killing Prof. Benneh with the aid of Opambuor Agya Badu Nkansah, a resident of Ashaiman, and two others who are currently on the run.
Presenting the facts, Inspector Teye-Okuffo indicated that Prof. Benneh was found dead in his house on September 12, 2020.
He told the court that the police found the victim lying in a pool of blood with his hands and legs tied together on a corridor leading to his bedroom.
The court heard that the deceased had marks of assault on his body with a rag stuck in his mouth.
Inspector Teye-Okuffo also told the court that the body of the deceased was in a state of decomposition when it was found.
Cause of Death
He also told the court that an examination on Prof. Benneh’s body disclosed the cause of death as asphyxiation, strangulation and suspected homicide.
Three suspects, namely Isaac Botchwey, 41, houseboy; Christian Pobee, 32, cleaner; and Adams Mensah Mansur, 52, a gardener, all workers in the Prof. Benneh’s mansion, who were initially arrested in connection with the gruesome murder were subsequently discharged by the court.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak