Two separate suicide cases have been recorded yesterday in different parts of the country, bringing such reported cases to six in a week. While Nana Kofi Tswerefuo Mensah, a 26-year-old US ‘burger’ decided to end it all at Gbawe in the Greater Accra Region, 30-year-old Kweku Owusu, unemployed, was also found hanging on a rope tied to a lumber in his room at New Takoradi Mangoase in the Western Region. The reasons for the two suicide cases were unclear.
In the first instance, residents of Gbawe Flower Junction in the Ga South District of the Greater Accra Region told Daily Guide that they woke up in the wee hours of yesterday to discover with shock the suspended dead body of the burger. His death was the third in the nation’s capital in the past week, after media reports said a medical doctor and pastor had also committed suicide by hanging. Nana Mensah, who was said to have travelled to the US a couple of times, was found hanging on an Achaia tree at Gbawe, Flower Junction, barely 600 meters away from his house.
Beside the body was his torchlight, which he was believed to have used in finding his way to the suicide scene, plus a bottle of Voltic mineral water and some leftover food in a “take away” polythene bag. Scores of flies hovered around him as his lifeless body hanged on the tree. According to Reverend Mrs. Amuzu, a sister to the deceased, Nana Kofi travelled to the US some years ago after he was dismissed from one of the Central Region schools. She said the deceased, after returning from the States, was staying with his mother and their house-help in an area called CP, meters away from where he committed the act.
“Later, we heard that he had joined a gang of wee smokers after all our mum, Mrs. Mary Mensah did to stop him from smoking had fallen on deaf ears,” she said. She further told the paper that “we know him to be a wee smoker and we have cautioned him several times, all to no avail. Recently after returning from his ‘rounds’ with his gang, he even pulled a cutlass on the mother, threatening to butcher her. The mother at a point reported the matter to the police, who picked him up”. Reverend Mrs. Amuzu revealed that after he was cautioned and bailed, the deceased refused to sleep at home. “The last time I set my eyes on him was on the 13th of last month (June, 2008).”
She said she found the suicide very strange, more so when Kofi lacked nothing and travelled to and from the country as and when he pleased. All who spoke to the paper described him as a wealthy young man who lacked nothing. They confirmed that he was a member of a wee-smoking gang in the area. They also alleged that the spot where he committed the act was the citadel of the wee-smoking gang. Speaking to the paper, Superintendent A. S. Mensah, Odorkor District Police Commander, said the police did not suspect any foul play for now, but gave the assurance that investigations would be conducted to ascertain the actual cause of death.
Meanwhile, the paper has gathered that the mother of the deceased, Mrs. Mary Mensah, had collapse after the news that her son had committed suicide was communicated to her. The body of the deceased had been sent to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for autopsy. In the second case, unconfirmed reports had it that Owusu was on admission at the Takoradi Hospital and barely two days after he was discharged, decided to take his life. Daily Guide learnt that upon hearing the death of Owusu, his 90-year-old grandfather, Nana Kwadie, who was sick in his room, allegedly died the same morning out of shock.
An attempt by the paper to get the parents of the deceased to comment on the incident did not yield any dividend as they burst into uncontrollable tears and refused to talk to the press. A family member of Owusu, Papa Quansah, who was initially tight-lipped on the issue, later confirmed the story of the oldman’s death in an interview with this paper. He said the incident happened on Thursday evening at about 10.00 pm when the majority of people in the area had thronged the New Takoradi Park to witness the introduction of a herbal product by one Dr. Anane.
He hinted that when some friends decided to go and call Owusu from his cubicle to join them at the park, they were shocked to discover that he had hanged himself. When asked whether Owusu had ever threatened to end his life, Papa Quansah answered in the negative, and said even though he was unemployed, Owusu’s needs were catered for by his parents. Some of the friends of the deceased, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed shock at Owusu’s action, and maintained that he did not give any indication that he wanted to end his life in such a manner.
The assembly member of New Takoradi, John Kingsford Owusu told that the incident was unprecedented in the history of the area. He advised the youth not only to strive to work and earn a living for themselves but also, they should commit themselves to the Word of God, adding, “It’s better to die naturally than to hang yourself”. As at the time DAILY GUIDE was leaving the scene, police personnel were preparing to deposit the body at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital morgue in Sekondi for autopsy.
