Man kills 14-year-old girl over use of passageway

Source: Daily Graphic Ghana  -  The police have arrested a 30-year-old man for allegedly stabbing a 14-year-old girl to death at Manhean, near Ablekuma in Accra.

The suspect, Kofi Kwao, a porter, is said to have attacked the victim, Claudia Odoi, for using his house as a thoroughfare.

Confirming the incident to the Daily Graphic, the Crime Officer of the Amasaman District Police Command, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mr Sebastian Adigiya, said the police received distress calls from the Manhean community about 10 a.m. on January 17, 2015.

He said police investigations found out that the girl, who lived with her 

uncle’s wife to fetch water in the neighbourhood when the incident happened.

“She wanted to pass through the suspect’s house which was not fenced and is used by some of the neighbours as an access route to the other houses,” Mr Adigiya said.

He said when Claudia approached the house, the suspect “warned her not to walk through his house, but she ignored it”.

The two were said to have engaged in a verbal altercation but still Claudia went ahead and walked through the house.

“The suspect then became offended and chased her with a kitchen knife which was sharp on both edges,” he said.

Even though Claudia, who was holding an aluminium container meant for the water, ran as fast as she could, Kwao caught up with her and stabbed her a few metres from his compound.

While the victim shouted for help after falling, Kwao continued to stab her and threatened to stab anybody who came close.

Members of the community stood by and looked on helplessly until some Good Samaritans overpowered Kwao.

The Good Samaritans took Claudia to the Amasaman Government Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

The body has since been deposited at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for autopsy.