The Untold Story: Questionable Death of Young Nigerians In Ghana and the Unfortunate Security Lapses
Death, they say, is inevitable. However, the recent murder of some young energetic Nigerian Counterparts in Ghana has raised some serious concerns. Whereas some cases are treated with a pinch of salt, more similar cases keeps recurring and increasing. ?And there is some worry following the circumstances which led to the death of these young and mostly Nigerian students studying in Ghana may drain the friendly and bilateral relationship between Ghana and Nigeria in the long-run.
Media reports monitored have indicated that several of these deaths are questionable considering the sad event which led to the killing of these young Nigerians in Ghana. But the sympathetic part of these stories is the reluctant posture of the Ghanaian security personnel and the inability to bring the perpetrators to book.
meanwhile, some reports have described police investigations and reports into these killings but yielded no positive results. The argument now is the lack on the part of government through the appropriate security agencies to protect Nigerians and especially those studying in the country and therefore, parent and relatives of victims have lost confidence in Ghana?s security reposed in them before.
This has not only posed the question of how safe Nigerian students are in the Gold Coast, but it has also raised the question of how much university managements take an interest in the well-being of their foreign students, most of whom are teenagers.
The first death case was reported in October 2013 of a 15-year-old Nigerian, by the name Master Austine Chukwuebuka Ogukwe, an SS3 student of Ideal College, Community 5, in Tema, who was reported dead under the watch of his house master amidst mysterious circumstance.
The second incident happened in November 2013, barely 26 days after the first death occurred. Two Nigerian students, Eddy and Charles of Ransford University in Accra went for an excursion to the Volta region, under the guidance of school representative(s), but died when their canoe capsized including other similar cases of deaths.
In response to these, there is a high tendency that Ghana, a fellow ECOWAS country with Nigeria may face sanction from ECOWAS court over the recent killings of Nigerian students seeking academic pursuit in Ghana?s educational institutions.
THE EPISODES OF MURDER OF NIGERIAN STUDENTS IN GHANA
MR. Ifeanyi Murder on 2nd June, 2014
A Nigerian, Mr Ifeanyi living in Kasoa in the Central Region of Ghana was reported to have had an argument with a Ghanaian counterpart. Early the next morning as he came out of his house to ease himself, the same guy he had issue with stabbed him four times and he died.
The President of the Nigerian Community, an Embassy staff and the Igbo Community Chairman moved in immediately to ascertain the level of things and to also inspect the dead body that was already deposited at the mortuary.
The Police conducted their investigations but media reports indicated that the police were slow to arrest the Ghanaian culprit for prosecution. The murder of Mr. Ifeanyi raised the death toll of Nigerians to three in that region.
Godwin Chukwudi Ayogu, a 19-year-old Level 200 student of the UCC
On February 19, 2014, the body of Ayogu was found at Amamoma on the outskirts of the university, with the throat slit and multiple stab wounds all over the body, while the intestines had gushed out. The hands and legs of the deceased were also tied with a rope. After the murder, the body was later conveyed to the Cape Coast Regional Hospital for preservation.
A thorough examination conducted at the crime scene by police investigators revealed vehicular tyre marks, an indication that Ayogu had been killed elsewhere and the body dumped at the spot where it was found. A post-mortem examination of the body by Dr. Patrick Kafui Akakpo of the Central Regional Hospital gave the cause of death as stab wounds to the heart and multiple stab wounds.
The suspects ? Ogunsanyo Abayomi, Obi Mnaetochi Brendan Ilozumba, Oti Uchechukwu Chijooke, Jimoh Oluwatobiloba Timileyin and Isaac Ifidon ? are assisting the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service in its investigations. According to the Director General of the CID, Commissioner of Police, Mr Prosper Agblor, the five, together with Ayogu, were pursuing various degree programmes at the UCC.
The Homicide Unit of the CID took over the case from the Cape Coast Police and further investigations revealed that Ogunsanyo was a former roommate of Ayogu.
Ogunsanyo, who lived beyond his means, had borrowed an unspecified amount of money from Ayogu to pay his school fees, with the promise to pay back later but instead travelled to the United Kingdom. They were all arrested on their return and are currently assisting in investigations.
Austine Odukwe, Ideal College Student
Austine? Odukwe who died in a questionable manner, was a Senior Secondary?Student 3 student of Ideal College, Community 5 in Tema, Ghana. Austine who died suddenly on the 15th of October, was reported by the school authority and police to have drowned after his twelfth day in school.?The puzzle now is how the lad ended in the sea. Also, when his body was found, there were visible wounds on his chin, head, leg and rib region. Although the police have launched an investigation into the tragedy, no arrest had been recorded, eight days after the lad?s transition.
Austine was among 47 students taken?out for jogging by a housemaster, but later went?to the Tena beach in Ghana, where he met his death.?But Austine?s father, Odukwe, told an Abuja court Thursday that he believed his son was murdered. According to him, when he demanded to see the corpse of his son after he received news of his death, he?saw that he was stabbed on the ribs and had injuries on his leg, forehead and shoulders.
Godwin Awogbo, level 300 student of University of Ghana
On February 19th, the body of a Nigerian student studying in Ghana was found. Godwin Awogbo (pictured below), a level 300 student of Social Sciences at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana was killed by unknown person/s and his body dumped by the roadside
According to media reports, Godwin was killed over money. The 18-year-old Godwin Awogbo, was brutally killed. His body was found with his internal organs gushed out, with his hands and legs tied. Godwin according to media reports, withdrawn some thousands of dollars meant for his school fees, but had lent the money to some students. When he requested them to pay back, they started threatening his life. It was after the threats that he heard about his death.
COMMENTS BY VICTIMS PARENTS
Mr Fred Awogbo, the father of the late Godwin Awogbo, level 300 student of University of Ghana , and some of his relatives expressed many regrets as regards why he had not listened to his late son?s proprietor who had suggested that he should send his son to Canada to further his studies or better still, allow his son to weather the storm of strike actions often associated with Nigerian universities than losing him in Ghana to the cold hands of death, where he thought he was safe and he would not lose him to strange culture.
Mr Awogbo stressed his regret of sending his son to study in Ghana ?Honestly, I regret sending my child to study in Ghana, because if he had gained admission into higher institution in Nigeria, this would not have happened. The reason I sent him to Ghana was to avoid the issue of strike action in Nigerian higher institutions. Even his mother and proprietor wanted him to go to Canada to further his studies. They really persuaded me but I said ?No?, because I didn?t want to lose my boy.
Advising parents who are yearning to send their children to Ghana to study, he said. ?As for now, I cannot advise any Nigerian parent to send their children to study in Ghana; a lot of them studying here are teenagers and the stress is too much for them. Coming here myself has made me know that, in addition is the fact that the money we are paying is too much, compared to what private universities are charging in Nigeria.?
Also, the father of the late Austine Odukwe, past student of Ideal College said, ?When the school authorities arrived at the morgue, I finally saw the body. The wounds were frightening. I?m not convinced drowning caused the death. There were three major wounds that left me wondering if such injuries could possibly have been sustained after contact with the seabed.
?Strangely, for someone that supposedly drowned, his stomach was flat and there were also blood stains on his face. Then I was told an autopsy was going to be conducted right-away. And, I wondered why the haste. This almighty autopsy, was it going to bring back by son? I did not really know what autopsy involved and had never witnessed one before. I thought an autopsy would reveal finger-prints and so on but, as the autopsy progressed, I wished I had not permitted it. The body was cut up and the tummy was empty. There was no water in the stomach.?
In Odukwe?s view, the drowning theory sounded even more incredible, given the housemaster?s declaration that he did not see anything that could have helped in unravelling the death of a lad that was under his care.
Mrs. Ayoku, mother of the late Godwin Chukwudi Ayogu , level 200 student of University of cape coast (UCC) in her address to Daily Newswatch expressed? regret and shock over her decision to have suggested their first born schooling outside Nigeria shore.
?I regret sending my child to study in Ghana, because if he had gained admission into higher institution in Nigeria, this would not have happened. We sent him to Ghana in order to avoid the delay usually caused by strike actions by Nigerian universities.
?Even the proprietor of the secondary school where he graduated advised us to register him with schools in Canada to further his studies, but we thought the distance was too much. He even spoke with me recently before all this, telling me about the situation of his education. He said he was no more changing his course as planned; adding that he now in good tune with the course he was offering. And we were all waiting for his first degree graduation while he then continued? the remaining studies in Canada, but now, should I say the Ghanians have dashed my hope??, she asked rhetorically.
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Efforts by the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana
Meanwhile, reports from media in Nigeria had showed the high tense of the issue as Nigerian House of Representatives have promised to send investigative team to probe the killing of Nigerian students in the country in recent time.
Members of the House of Representatives have begun investigations into the death of some these questionable deaths of Nigerian students studying in Ghana and therefore, there is the likelihood Ghana may face sanctions if these cases keep recurring in Ghana.
But a member of the committee, Mr. Aminu Shagari,?said, if our educational system is working?well, they would not be sending their children to?places like Ghana for education.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana has been lauded by many for the involvement to bring perpetrators to book because they are doing very, very well.?
Mr. Ifeanyi, a resident of Kasoa, Central Region Stabbed to death.
BY Abubakari Seidu Ajarfor,
Print Journalist.
