Pastor Killers Weep

Kofi Seidu, 32, who was alleged to have murdered his boss, Rev. Sidney Thomas Barnes, a British American evangelist of Calvary Chapel, USA, has been put before the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) magistrate court alongside two other suspects, Pastor Padmore Goodwill and Issaka Mohammed.

They were charged with two counts of conspiracy and murder. Their pleas where however not taken as police continue their investigations. When they appeared in court yesterday, the third accused person, Issaka Mohammed, broke into uncontrollable tears after they were remanded into prison custody.

A few minutes before their departure from the courtroom, he was seen quizzing the first accused and at times talking to himself. Seidu and Pastor Goodwill were also seen shedding tears. The prosecutor, DSP Cletus Abadamlora, told the court presided over by Kofi Ahiabor that the deceased was a British American national who had lived in Ghana since 1997.

He had since established a church called Cross Road Christian Mission Incorporated at Koforidua, the Eastern Regional capital, where he lived. He also had a pawpaw and pineapple farm at Akwamu Amanfo near Nsawam Adoagyiri where the first accused, Kofi Seidu, was the manager. The murdered Man of God also owned the Prestige Secretarial and Computer School where the second accused, Pastor Padmore Goodwill, was the principal.

Rev. Sidney Barnes, 75 on December 27, 2009 left for the Americas and was to return to Ghana on March 18, 2010. Pastor Goodwill, on March 17, gave Seidu money to repair an old Land Rover vehicle with registration number WR418p to pick up the American missionary form the Kotoka International Airport on arrival the following day. Early the next day, March 18, Seidu went to Pastor Goodwill and took a sum of GH¢50 to fuel the vehicle. Pastor Goodwill then quizzed Seidu on his early departure to Accra, which Seidu explained that he had to go to a few places before picking up Rev. Barnes at night.

At about 11:30pm, the first accused called the second accused on his mobile phone that Rev. Barnes had not arrived in the country.On March 19, Seidu was spotted at Nsawam Adoagyiri with the Land Rover. A witness in the case, according to the prosecution, noticed some injuries on both hands of Seidu and quizzed him on how he got injured. He then explained that while travelling with a white friend, they (the white man and Seidu) were involved in a motor accident. He claimed that the white friend was on admission at the St. Joseph’s Hospital in Koforidua.

Suspect Seidu further contacted another witness in the case for that person to administer a tetanus injection to him (Seidu). However, because the witness had none, he asked Seidu to buy the medication from somewhere else for him (witness) to administer but Seidu left and never returned.

On that same day, Seidu gave a laptop computer to another witness, who on booting the computer; saw the name of Rev. Barnes boldly inscribed on it and his photo beneath. The witness also did see a tourist bag in the said Land Rover which Seidu claimed belonged to his white friend.

The disappearance of Rev. Barnes was later reported to the Interpol Unit at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters, Accra.The first accused was arrested on September 26 by the homicide unit of the CID who later arrested the second and third accused to assist in investigations.

They are being held at the Police Headquarters, Cantonments and Nima Police Stations respectively. On October 4, Seidu, who had earlier denied any knowledge of Rev. Barnes’s disappearance, confessed to murdering and burying him in a well on his farm. Seidu, on October 11, led a team of investigators and pathologists from the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital to exhume the body from a well at the Mana Mission Farm where he was the manager.

On October 13, an autopsy was performed on the body, the pathologist is yet to submit the report to the CID.

Meanwhile, a police source told Daily Guide that Rev. Barnes, while in America, ordered Seidu via an e-mail message to sell some herd of castle on his behalf before his return. The accused, according to the source, has since denied Rev. Barnes had a cattle ranch. The magistrate adjourned the case to November 2, 2010 and remanded the three into police custody.