Contract killing hits Kumasi

A 66-year-old businessman was allegedly gunned down by unknown assailants in front of his house at TUC, a plush residential area in Kumasi Friday evening.

Alhaji Alidu Sulemana had alighted from his car, opened the main gate to his house and was about to move in when he was purportedly shot in the head and the belly.

He fell on the ground, bleeding profusely for close to one hour before he was seen and rushed to the hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.

What sparked the bloody shooting was not readily known but people are not ruling out contract killing, in view of the manner in which he was assassinated.

The killers of the businessman reportedly did not take away any valuable thing on him as they hurriedly left the place in a waiting vehicle after shooting him.

This has given credence to suspicion by people in the area that perhaps Alhaji Sulemana was a victim of contract killing.

A post-mortem was conducted on his body after which it was released to his family for burial in Kumasi last Saturday.

The paper gathered that the businessman’s sudden death had sent shock waves among residents of TUC in particular and Kumasi in general.

Briefing DAILY GUIDE, ASP Mohamed Yussif Tanko, the Ashanti Regional Police PRO, said his outfit had not identified any evidence of robbery in the heinous crime.

“As at now,” he indicated, “the police are dealing with a case of murder in Alhaji Sulemana’s death until maybe other facts which prove otherwise emerge.”

ASP Tanko disclosed that Alhaji Sulemana was shot in the head and the belly by his killers after he had opened the gate to his house.

The police PRO said since power supply to the area had been disconnected, people did not see the perpetrators of the dastardly incident.

He noted again that the area had recorded blasts of fire crackers recently due to the Yuletide and so people mistook the gunshots to be fire crackers children were firing.

According to ASP Tanko, by the time Alhaji Sulemana was eventually seen, he had bled profusely so he gave up the ghost on the way to the hospital.

He said the police had started investigation into the criminal act, stressing that for now the police were suspecting assassination.

ASP Tanko urged the public not to panic following this isolated case, stating that the police are firmly in control of the security of the region.

He charged the public to feed the police with vital information that would lead to the arrest of the run-away killers to face justice.

The PRO admonished the populace to be security conscious at all times and report suspicious characters to the police for swift action to be taken.

Meanwhile, Muslim prayers were said for Alhaji Sulemana Saturday morning prior to his burial at the Tafo cemetery.

DCOP Kofi Boakye, the Ashanti Regional Police Commander, and some top personalities in the city were in attendance during the prayer service.