Nicholas Kini (left) and Felix Nyarko
Noah Kini, the grandfather of the second accused person in the infamous Kasoa murder of an 11-year-old boy, has painted a fresh damning picture of the suspected killer.
In a no holds barred interview, he recalled how Nicholas Kwame Kini, 18, was once arrested and detained by the police for stealing, the current case therefore being his second conflict with the law.
The suspect also carries a baggage of a defilement case, according to residents in the area in which he lives.
The grandfather however, maintains that it was rather the stealing case which caused the arrest and detention of Nicholas Kini.
Narrating the story, Mr. Kini said the suspect stole an amount of $10,000 from a certain Alhaji he was working for, and it happened four months ago.
Continuing, he said his grandson was detained for some days until his release.
Nicholas Kini had a positive side though, as the old man described him as ‘good church boy’, whatever that means.
The grandfather said the suspect’s conduct started going downhill when he joined a bad company.
“About five young boys worked with this Alhaji, but the day Alhaji asked Nico to go and sweep his hall, the employer later complained that his money was missing. And since Nico was the one who had gone to his hall that morning, he was accused of the theft.
“I refused to believe it. Nico himself wanted us to visit a shrine to settle the issue, because in this area that is how we find who is actually guilty of thefts,” he said.
Recalling the gruesome murder in which Nicholas is being held as the second accused, the old man said the boy complained about being unwell.
When word reached him however, that the boy had been accused of being involved in a murder, he was surprised, he said.
“It was around 10:30 am to 11:00 am when someone came here to inform me that Nico and another teenager have killed somebody. I was confused, but I have nothing to say,” he said.
The relationship between the old man and the father of the first accused, Felix Nyarko, is now strained.
Continuing, he recalled how Felix Nyarko, 16, stole his father’s money and brought it to his grandfather so they could buy a mobile phone. That was the source of the rift between the old man and Felix’s dad.
“Some years ago, Felix stole his father’s money and brought it to this house, that caused a huge fight between him and his father. So I even warned him (Nicholas) to stop associating with Felix,” he said.
The story of the murder of 11-year-old Ishmael Mensah Abdallah by the two young boys continues to grip the conscience of the public.
It has prompted a national conversation like no other, with questions being posed as to what would happen to the accused persons and what influenced their murderous action.
Any detail related to the murder and the lives of the accused persons continue to top the media chart of occurrences.
By A.R. Gomda