On July 26, 2022, the Ghana Police Service arrested a lady and an accomplice for allegedly murdering her boyfriend, who had returned to Ghana from Canada for a vacation.
The story has received wide attention on both traditional and social media, with many questions being asked about what could be the suspects’ motives.
The deceased
According to Police and multiple reports, the deceased has been identified as Prince Osei Kofi, who travelled to Ghana from his Canada base with his young son.
According to a lady claiming to be a cousin of the deceased, Prince returned to Ghana for the burial of his late sister when he met his untimely death.
The victim, according to his purported cousin, was the only son of his parents and had multiple children though he is not married.
The woman in a self-recorded video alleged that the deceased and the lead suspect were in a relationship that ended over three years ago. She alleged that Prince was coerced by his ex-girlfriend when she found out of his presence in the country and drugged him before his demise.
The suspects
The lead suspect in the case has been identified as a 23-year-old first-year student of the University of Ghana named Safina Mohammed Adizatu.
The female student is said to be popular on some social media platforms using the name Safina Diamond.
Police reports indicate the suspect resides at Ashallaey Botwe School Junction, where the murder of Prince occurred.
A second suspect in the case is a Technical Officer at the Crop Research Institute in Kumasi.
The Police have given the suspect’s identity as Michael Fiifi Ampofo Arku.
Police account of the murder and arrest of suspects
On Friday, August 28, 2022, a police prosecutor, Chief Inspector Jacob Nyarko, disclosed to the Adenta District Court how the suspects allegedly stabbed and suffocated Prince Kofi Osei at the residence of his girlfriend.
On July 24, 2022, the prosecution said Osei visited Safina, his fiancé, who resided at Ashalley Botwe School Junction and decided to spend the night there.
The prosecution said at night, Safina and Arku, together with others yet to be identified, stabbed Osei several times with a knife on his chin, jaw, and back and strangled him to death.
It said Safina and Arku cleaned up the blood while the deceased was in the room for 24 hours.
According to the prosecution, accused persons later dragged the deceased from the first floor of the storey building through the staircase and dumped him at the gate of the house near where the deceased had parked his Toyota Tundra and washed the blood stains off the staircase.
On July 26, this year, at about 0400 hours, Safina called a police officer saying that her boyfriend had visited her and had died in her room.
The prosecution said the Police Officer called the Police Patrol Team, who rushed to the scene and found the body of the deceased lying at the gate of Safina’s house, but Safina and Arku were nowhere to be found.
It said the Police later traced Safina to Ashalley Botwe School Junction and nabbed her.
The prosecution said Arku, after committing the act, absconded to Kumasi.
Remand of Safina and Arku
During the suspects’ appearance in court, they were charged with conspiracy and murder.
The Adenta District Court presided over by Nana Aba Quaiba Nunoo, preserved their pleas and remanded them into Police custody to reappear on August 12.
The prosecution opposed a bail application put in by the defence team, arguing that the case was under investigation and efforts were underway to nab other accomplices currently at large.
The court turned down the bail application.
