Farmer kills son for eating his gari

Displeased by a piece of information from his wife that his ball of gari prepared for him for breakfast had been eaten by his youngest child, Kweku Appiah, allegedly slashed the tummy of his wife and followed it up by cutting the throat of his little boy, killing him instantly.

Appiah, thereafter, fled into the bush, thereby necessitating a search party organised by the chief of Agona Obosomase near Mankrong Junction, to apprehend him after a three-day search.

Appiah has therefore been put before the Agona Swedru District Magistrate’s Court, presided over by Mr Kwaku Baah Frempong, to answer charges of murder and causing harm.

His plea was not taken and the court remanded him in prison custody until a later date.

Appiah’s victims were identified as Kofi Takyi, his youngest child, and Yaa Nkrumah, his wife.

According to the prosecutor, Inspector Isaac Amon, Yaa Nkrumah and Appiah were farmers living together as man and wife at Agona Obosomase, and had 10 children but lost two, with Takyi being their youngest child.

The prosecutor said Yaa, on June 23, 2013, prepared a ball of gari for Appiah as his breakfast.

The prosecutor said when Yaa finished preparing the food, she placed it on the dining table and invited Appiah to come and eat, but he said he was attending to the call of nature and would come afterwards.

After waiting for some time without Appiah returning home, Inspector Amon said, Yaa, after eating the banku she had prepared with her children, left for the farm.

According to Inspector Amon, at about 5:00p.m when Appiah returned, he realised that the food had been eaten by the children.

Inspector Amon said Appiah left for town again and returned home later, only to be told that it was his last child, Takyi, who ate his food.

He said Appiah took offence, picked a quarrel with Yaa, and slashed her tummy, and then later rushed onto the little boy, slit his throat and fled into the bush.

According to Inspector Amon, the local chief organised a search party which arrested Appiah in the bush after three days’ search and handed him over to the police at Mankrong Junction.