SEVEN HELD FOR DEATH OF YOUNG MAN (SEPT 22, BACK PAGE)

A young man who strayed into a house at Kojokrom in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis, was mistaken for a thief by some residents who allegedly drove a six-inch nail through his head, killing him instantly.
The victim, whose name was given as Awinzelea, was brought by his father from Bolgatanga for medical treatment in Takoradi. He was allegedly tied to an electricity pole by some residents after they had beaten him mercilessly before driving the nail through his head.
Seven suspects have been arrested by the police to help in their investigations into the death of Awinzelea.
Five of the suspects — Francis Adai, 53, and his son, Joseph Adai, 19, Kenneth Quanoo, 38, Isaac Abasa, 28, and John Mensah — are being held for murder.
The other two, a woman, Juliana Coomson, and her son, Victor Achia-Yaw, who witnessed the crime but failed to report to the police, have also been placed in police custody for allegedly concealing crime.
According to the police, the victim had a sickness and his father, who is a security officer at the Ministry of Agriculture in Sekondi, brought him to the metropolis so he could take care of him.
The police said on the night of the incident, the victim went to see his father off to work, and half way through the journey the father asked him to return and that if he went further he might miss his way back to the house.
The police said true to the father’s words, the victim missed his way and found himself on the compound of Addai who asked what he wanted at that time of the night.
“The victim, who could not speak any language, stood there speechless, then Addai and the son and three others whose names were given as Adoko, Atta-Maison and Boaben, a taxi driver, pounced on him shouting thief, thief,” the police said.
“This brought a lot of people to the scene while the suspects continued to beat the victim until he became weak and helpless,” it said.
The victim was then led to the roadside, according to the police, where he was tied to an electricity pole and nailed.
The police said the three other suspects, Adoko, Atta-Maison and Boaben, the taxi driver, were at large and the other seven suspects were in police custody while investigations continued.
When contacted, the Takoradi Central Police Commander, DSP Dela K. Dzansi, urged the public not to take the law into their own hands.
He deplored instant justice and urged the public that when a suspect was apprehended, he should be marched to the nearest police station to ensure that the law took its course.