Family accuses police over 28-year-old’s death after arrest, alleged beatings

A family in Kumasi has accused officers of the Ghana Police Service of allegedly beating a 28-year-old man, Emmanuel Kobby, after his arrest, an incident they say led to his death.

According to accounts from relatives and eyewitnesses, Kobby, a senior high school graduate who worked as a plumber, had hosted a young girl believed to be his girlfriend at his home for about a week.

The girl, said to be under 18, had reportedly stayed with him for about a week without her parents’ knowledge.

The young girl’s mother, concerned about her daughter’s whereabouts, reported her missing after failing to locate her and later received information suggesting that she might be at Kobby’s house.

On April 14, 2026, Kobby was informed that the girl’s mother was searching for her.

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He subsequently asked the young girl to return home. By the time the girl’s mother arrived at Kobby’s house with police officers at dawn that same day, the girl had already left.

An eyewitness, identified as Kobby’s aunt, said the officers initially engaged occupants of the house in conversation because Kobby was not present at the time the officers arrived.

She explained that during this interaction, Kobby returned home and the situation escalated.

According to her, the girl’s mother immediately began shouting and accusing Kobby of being a thief upon seeing him.

Startled, Kobby reportedly fled, prompting the police officers to pursue and arrest him.

Upon pursuing him in a hot chase, the police officers allegedly caught him, after which they beat him mercilessly and stepped on his stomach and other parts of his body, according to the eyewitness.

“The woman began shouting that he was a thief, which made him run but the police chased him down and arrested him. They then beat him mercilessly and stepped on his stomach and other parts of his body,” she narrated.

Kobby’s mother also alleged that her son recounted further assault while in police custody before his death.

She claimed that her son was beaten continuously while being transported in a car from his house, adding that even the officer driving the vehicle attempted to slap him, an action she said led to the vehicle crashing.

“The driver was also slapping him, and because everyone was beating him, the driver joined in, and in the process, the car crashed,” Kobby’s mother alleged.

She further stated that the severity of the alleged assault left her son unable to speak.

He was later transported to a hospital, where she said his condition deteriorated rapidly.

According to her, the officers involved showed no remorse for their actions. She added that while at the hospital, blood was seen oozing from Kobby’s mouth, and he eventually died on his hospital bed.

The family is now demanding accountability and a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding Kobby’s arrest and death.

AK/AM