Murder At Denkyira

About 2,000 Farmers Desert Villages
THE DISTRICT Chief Executive for Upper Denkyira in the Central Region, Richard Anane Adabor was last week arrested and granted a ?100million police enquiry bail in connection with the murder of a 45-year old farmer. Scores of other people including the chief of Twifu-Kyebi are in police custody for their suspected involvement in the murder.

The arrest of the DCE followed alleged act of omission and commission before and after the murder of Kofi Agyarkwa at Twifu-Kyebi on the dawn of October 9, this year, The Chronicle has learnt.

The Chronicle gathered that after the murder the suspects secretly buried the deceased and fell a tree at the cemetery on the tomb to cover up any trace of their barbaric act but a day after the incident the Dunkwa Police, acting upon a tip-off, were able to trace the tomb and has since disinterred the body for autopsy.

The chief, Nana Amoateng Sempe II, and some of his elders and scores of the town's folks are in prison custody at Cape Coast pending further police investigations.

DCE Anane, confirmed to the paper on Sunday in a recorded interview, that he was arrested and later granted a ?100 million police enquiry bail with a surety to be justified in connection with the case.

He initially refused to talk about why he was arrested.

"I have been instructed not to speak to anybody about the motive behind my arrest in relation to the murder but your questions are forcing me to speak about the issue, I would not," Anane told this reporter.

He denied that he was involved in the murder and the secret burial of the body.

The DCE said though the assemblyman for Twifu-Kyebi electoral area, Ato Ampiah, met him in the early hours of the day of the murder he (the assemblyman) failed to disclose the killing of Agyarkwa but rather told him that they had arrested someone for attempting to steal Cocoa.

"Because of what the assemblyman told me that they had arrested a cocoa thief I decided to report the case to the police myself and it was at the police station that I met one lady and a bailiff who I was later told were also there to lodge a complaint about the abduction of the deceased," he said.

As to why he decided to report to the police himself instead of the assemblyman, the DCE said: "I thought there was nothing wrong to report what the assemblyman told me to the police."

He denied that Ato Ampiah briefed him about the murder and said as a church elder he could not be part of a murder.

He said Ampiah only told him about the deceased's brother who was tried for allegedly stealing cocoa, which turned out to be false but never disclosed that they had killed Agarkwa that dawn.

"I hope the police would do their work properly for the truth to come out," he said. Chronicle investigations had revealed that on October 9, about 30 people led by the assemblyman for Twifu-Kyebi, Ato Ampiah and the Unit Committee chairman, Kofi Quansah, stormed Ntobea Akora (village) around 2 a.m. and abducted a 45-year-old farmer, Kofi Agyarkwa, amidst the chanting of war songs.

On arrival at Twifu-Kyebi they performed some rituals with the chief of the town and some of his elders after which, they sent Agyarkwa to the cemetery where he was murdered and buried.

After the burial they felled a big tree onto the grave to cover it but a day after, Dunkwa police, were able to locate where the deceased was buried.

The Chronicle learnt that another person who suffered some brutalities on the fateful day was 88-year-old Kofi Okor, a relative of the deceased whom the suspects allegedly tried in vain to murder too.

Okor was allegedly shot at several times but they missed him. Having failed with the gun they resorted to the use of cutlass to 'finish' him but that attempt also proved futile.

"If I am still alive today it is God who has saved me, when they brought me to Twifu-Kyebi that dawn they did everything possible to kill me. The assemblyman and his people, taking instructions from the chief, led me to the cemetery three times but when they realized that the gun and cutlass had failed they tied my legs and hands together and subjected me to a severe beating," the old man told this reporter at Dunkwa-On-Offin.

"When they could not kill me with the use of the gun and cutlass, a certain Akua Acquah removed her underwear and used it to whip me because she claimed I had juju and if she whipped me with her underwear they would overcome me but God who listened to my prayers saved me," the octogenarian narrated.

Chronicle gathered that after murdering Agyarkwa, the assemblyman went to Dunkwa-on-Offin and duly informed the DCE about the incident.

Chronicle investigations revealed that the problem between the Agyarkwa family and the people of Twifu-Kyebi has to do with a disputed 12-kilometer square land, on which a Cape Coast High Court recently ruled in favour of Agyarkwa and company.

Information has it that, between 1913 and 1914, Okyeame Agyarkwa of Abure in the Eastern Region went to the rescue of the chiefs of Twifu-Kyebi and Boabeng in the Denkyira area of the Central Region during a dispute with the chief of Wassa Gyaba.

The Wassa Gyaba chief won the case and as a result the Twifu-Kyebi and Boabeng stools were to be forfeited if they could not raise about 30 pounds for the settlement.

While they were looking for a saviour, Okyeame Agyarkwa readily came in and paid the money that saved them from embarrassment.

After the payment the Twifu -Kyebi and Boabeng chiefs gave a 12-kilometer square of land to Okyeame Agyarkwa as compensation.

To ensure that the land became his bona fide property, Okyeame provided drinks and other items as custom demanded.

Years after the death of Okyeame Agyarkwa, his children could not trace their inheritance until in recent years when they discovered the papers covering the land and sent the case to court for redress.

Before then Nana Amoateng II, and his elders had taken control of the land and given it out to a number of people to plant cocoa and do other farming for them.

They also gave part of the forest to Dan Timbers in Kumasi to exploit, The Chronicle has learnt. The court's decision was given in favor the sons of Okyeame Agyarkwa and reinstated the ownership of the land to them (Agyarkwa and company).

The court ordered all those farming on the land to deal with the sons of the Okyeame Agyarkwa instead of the chief of Twifu-Kyebi and others who gave part of the land for farming.

But Nana Amoateng and his people would not agree to the court ruling. After the ruling Nana Amoateng allegedly went to Twifu-Kyebi and caused a gong-gong to be beaten to the effect that the court rather ruled for him and asked all those farming on the land not to deal with the Agyarkwas.

As a result of this announcement, Agyarkwa's son reported the conduct of the chief to the court, which ordered Nana to retract the announcement.

The Chronicle gathered that after the court order the DCE wrote a letter to some farmers authorising them to share their farms with a certain Elizabeth Asare rather than Agyarkwas.

This letter by the DCE forced the Agyarkwa family to petition the Central Regional Minister about the interference of the DCE over the judgment of the court.

When the DCE was informed of the petition he did not take kindly to it and openly confronted Agyarkwa.

The DCE told this paper that he indeed confronted Agyarkwa because they failed to copy the petition to him and also he heard that he (Agyarkwa) openly insulted him at Cape Coast.

He also said he did not know that the farms he asked the farmers to share with Asare were part of the Agyarkwa property.

The assemblyman, the unit committee chairman and a host of the suspects are on the run while all the cocoa farmers in the area have deserted their villages.

The Chronicle gathered that armed with this information the DCE lodged a complaint with the police that Twifu-Kyebi people had arrested someone for attempting to steal cocoa and was being held at the town so he wanted the police to go there and pick him.

The police reportedly told Mr. Anane that a complaint had been lodged about the abduction of Agyarkwa and that he was presumed killed.