Three herdsmen were rescued by the police from being lynched after they were accused by town folks of gruesomely murdering a 15-year-old boy, law enforcement agencies have confirmed.
The incident happened around 12noon on Monday, 17 January, 2022 at Nhyiaeso near Ananekrom, a farming community within the Asante Akim North District of the Ashanti Region, according to the Ghana Police Service.
The suspects who were hospitalized are in the custody of the police after being discharged by medics, it is reported.
Assemblyman for the Ananekrom Electoral Area, Peter Abagye tells dailymailgh.com that the incident occurred when the trekked to the bush to fetch water.
“The deceased has been identified as David Anariya. He went to fetch water with his two brothers. Whiles there the suspects emerged with their cattle forcing the two young brothers to run away. They launched an attack on the victim, butchered him with a machete killing him instantly”, Abagye narrated adding: “But for the timely intervention of the police and opinion leaders, the suspects would have been lynched.”
The police described the murder of the deceased as “gruesome” as they discovered the victim lying lifeless in a pool of blood. The police also found that one of his hands was chopped off.
David’s body has been sent to the morgue for preservation and autopsy. His mum who felt unconscious following the shocking news is said to be receiving treatment at a nearby health center.
Farmer-herder clashes are now one of Ghana’s deadliest security threats. The violence is often painted as ethnoreligious. But analysts have said climate change and scarcity of pastoral land is pitting the farmers and herders against each other, irrespective of faith.
SOURCE: DAILY MAIL GH