Cocoa farmer remanded for allegedly killing his friend

Mr Emmanuel Tetteha 62-year-old cocoa farmer from Assin Akweteykrom No. 2 in the Assin South District of the Central Region, has been remanded in police custody for allegedly killing his friend, Mr. Emmanuel Kofi Koranteng with a gun.

The accused, who was arrested by the Police on Friday, November 18, 2022, at Twifo Hemang in the Twifo Hemang Lower Denkyira District upon a tip-off, vanished from the town immediately after the gruesome act.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder, contrary to Section 46 of the Criminal Offences Act 29/60 and the Assin Fosu District Court presided over by Mr Abdul Majid Illiasu adjourned the case to Friday, December 09, 2022.

Chief Inspector Gilbert Ayongo, prosecuting, said the deceased was a close friend of Tetteh and shared a farm boundary, but their friendship became stale when Tetteh suspected that the deceased had stolen his gun.

On Monday, January 31, 2022, the deceased allegedly told some people in the community he was travelling to his hometown, Larteh in the Eastern Region.

A week later when people around did not see him, a call was made to his hometown and it turned out that Mr Koranteng had not shown up there.

This raised suspicion among the people of Assin Akweteykrom No. 2. and on Monday, February 07, 2022, the Assemblyman for Assin Aworosu Electoral Area organised a search party which visited the residence of the deceased and found the luggage he was to travel with, in his room.

The search party proceeded to his farm and chanced upon a decomposed body of a male adult, with the skull off the body a few metres away from the boundary. He was identified as Emmanuel Kofi Koranteng per his shirt and wellington boot.

The people highly suspected the accused person who had then vanished from the village.

The prosecutor said a case was made to the Police and a court order obtained declared Tetteh ‘wanted.’