Eight individuals, including senior and junior military personnel stationed at the 4th Infantry Battalion (4BN) in Kumasi, have been implicated in the deaths of two young men who were allegedly tortured in military custody.
The suspects, led by Lieutenant Selim Nikoi Neequaye, include fellow senior officers Lieutenant Emmanuel Abrokwa and Lieutenant Daniel Osae, as well as junior ranks Staff Sergeant Kumi Edmond, Lance Corporal Ameyaw Desmond, Private Ampah Felix, and Private Gyekye Best.
Also in custody is Thomas Adjei Mensah, a civilian employee and driver at the 4BN barracks. All eight suspects have been remanded into military custody by the Suame District Court and are expected to reappear on April 22, 2025.
They have been charged with murder, contrary to Section 46 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), and conspiracy to commit murder, contrary to Section 23(1) of the same Act.
Brief facts
The case dates back to March 22, when police officers from the Suame District Police Headquarters responded to reports of two unidentified unconscious men found in a bush at Danyame in Kumasi.
The victims were rushed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) but were pronounced dead on arrival. Their bodies were deposited at the mortuary, pending identification and autopsy.
The court heard that a missing person’s report filed by Michael Osei—brother of one of the deceased, Kwame Adu—police investigations began. Osei reported receiving a distress call from his brother on the night of his arrest, claiming he and his friends had been detained by military officers on allegations of stealing an iPhone.
Another relative, Iddrisu Mohammed, also reported that his grandson, Kwabena Sarfo, was among those arrested by soldiers in military uniform. Both families later identified the bodies of their loved ones at the KATH mortuary.
During investigations, a surviving victim, Christian Obiri Yeboah, also known as Kofi Yesu, told police that he and his deceased friends were arrested by the military officers, taken to the 4BN barracks, and severely beaten before being dumped in the Danyame bush. He is currently recovering at the hospital.
While the suspects admit to detaining and later releasing the victims, they deny assaulting them. Police say investigations are still ongoing, with cooperation from the military command.