‘Killer’ Ofankor Landlord has not escaped – Investigator tells court

The investigator in the case in which a landlord allegedly murdered his tenant over rent issues at Ofankor has told the court that the accused has not escaped.

This is contrary to claims by the family of the deceased that the accused, Stephen Nana Kamkam, was not in prison custody per the court’s order.

But Inspector Oppong Bekoe told the Abeka District Court that the accused is at the Accra Central Police cells.

At the last court date, late Benjamin Agyare’s father, Joseph Kwabena Manu Okyere, told the Abeka District Court that the family is livid after their investigations revealed that Stephen Nana Kamkam, is not in custody per the court order.

The court had earlier ordered that the accused person be remanded into prison custody and should not be brought to court subsequently till further notice following the Chief Justice’s restriction order on the movement of remand and convicted prisons due to Covid-19.

However, in court on Wednesday, Inspector Bekoe corroborated the family’s position that the accused was not in prison custody as per the court order, but with the police.

In his explanation to the court, he said, after the order for him to be remanded at Ankafo Prisons, he was taken to the Police Hospital for a Covid-19 test.

He said it took two weeks for the test results to be ready and within the period he was instead remanded at the Accra Police Cells.

He also told the court that within that period, they had a directive from the Attorney General’s (AG’s) Department to conduct further investigations, and therefore, “we needed the accused to assist us, so he was taken to Accra Central Police Cells.”

Inspector Bekoe told the court that, after completing their investigations, their findings were sent to the AGs office on August 31.

He, therefore, told the court that, now that investigations had been completed and the accused person would be taken to the Ankaful Prison Cells on Thursday, September 10, 2020.

The investigator told the court that the family of the deceased were aware of the development.

Family reacts to Investigator

The father of the deceased in his immediate response to the court when asked why they were informed about the development, yet portrayed to the court that something fishy was being done, Joseph Kwabena Manu Ohyere said he was not aware of what the investigator had told the court.

The court subsequently urged the family to continue their monitoring to find out if the investigator’s assurance to take the suspect to the prison cells tomorrow would be fulfilled.

The case has been adjourned to September 30, 2020.