Four Immigration Officers, two farmers held over murder

Four officers of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) and two farmers in the Nadowli-Kaleo District are in police custody over the death of one Patrick Banoebuuri, a farmer in the Piree-Kaangu community in the area.

The Wa District Magistrate Court, presided over by His Worship Maxwell Maxibrian Titriku, remanded the six suspects into custody, to assist the police in the investigations into the circumstances that led to the death of the victim.

The suspects, Senior Inspector Adjei Boadi Philip, aged 36; Assistant Immigration Control Ocer II (AICO) Abdulai Rawuf Abubakar, aged 22; AICO II Nkrumah Alex, 33 years and AICO II Philip Oppong, 28, all the GIS stationed at Nadowli, were charged with murder.

Suspects Pogee Antaa Julius, aged 38, a Unit Committee Chairman of Noro Electoral Area and a farmer, Logu Seidu, 49-year-old, a relative of Patrick Banoebuuri, the deceased farmer based at Naro, were also charged with abetment of crime to wit murder.

The facts of the case presented to the Court, on 6th March 2025, indicated that Patrick Baoebuuri, now deceased, allegedly stole 18 sheep and was arrested by the members of the community out of which 14 of the animals were later retrieved and he was set free.

It said on the 7th of March 2025, Pogee Antaa Julius, the Unit Committee Chairman and Logu Seidu led a group of people from Naro to the deceased’s house at PireeKaangu and apprehended him again for failing to produce the remaining four sheep.

He was handed over to the suspects Senior Inspector Adjei Boadi Philip, AICO II Abdulai Rawuf Abubakar, AICO II Nkrumah Alex, and AICO II Philip Oppong, who were on duty at the Ghana Immigration Checkpoint at Naro to be disciplined.

The court also heard that suspects Senior Inspector Adjei Boadi Philip, AICO II Abdulai Rawuf Abubakar, AICO II Nkrumah Alex, and AICO II Philip Oppong “received the deceased in good health and took him through the ‘frog jump’ during which the deceased died.

The Court further heard that when informed, the police proceeded to the scene and found the lifeless body of the deceased lying at the Immigration checkpoint at Naro, covered with tent fabric behind a zinc bathroom.

The body was inspected and conveyed to the Upper West Regional Hospital for preservation and autopsy.

The case has been adjourned to Monday, 17th March, 2025.

Meanwhile, the Banoebuuri family had appealed to the Inspector General of Police and the necessary stakeholders, to ensure justice was served to their deceased relative, Patrick Banoebuuri.

Mr Richard Banoebuuir, a brother of the deceased, called on influential personalities in the country, especially the Upper West Region to desist from interfering in the case.