Cows Trample Man To Death

A 57-year-old farmer was trampled to death by a herd of cattle after a taxi on which he was travelling had knocked down one of them.

The animals were said to have gone berserk at the command of two Fulani herdsmen to avenge the knocked-down cow in an incident which occurred between Begoro and Obuoho in the Fanteakwa District in the Eastern Region Friday.

For their suspected role in the death of the farmer, Noah Tetteh, who hails from Nkakama in the Fanteakwa District, the two Fulanis, identified as Mahamadu Sambo, 35, and Osmanu Bawa, 30, have been arrested by the police.

The suspects are believed to have made peculiar sounds to their herd to chase the four occupants of the taxi cab, to which the animals responded with aggression.

Briefing the Daily Graphic in Koforidua, the Eastern Regional Police Commander, ACP K. Gyamerah-Yeboah, said the driver of the taxi, with registration number GR 151 Q, Robert Kwasi Owusu, was travelling from Begoro to Obuoho with three passengers on board the cab about 7.30 p.m. Friday.

In the course of the journey, Owusu’s car knocked down a cow and the herdsmen who were not happy about the incident are said to have ordered the animals to punish the driver and the passengers for the act which they felt was reprehensible.

The cattle were said to have rushed on the vehicle before the driver could step on the pedal and for fear for their lives, the occupants abandoned the car and struggled to run into the bush for safety.

The animals pursued them in all directions and in the process pushed one of the passengers to the ground with their horns before trampling him to death.

The driver and two passengers were rushed to the Begoro District Hospital, where they were treated and discharged.

According to ACP Gyamerah-Yeboah, the taxi driver later reported the incident to the police in Begoro, who succeeded in arresting the two Fulani herdsmen.

He said the two would be put before the Begoro District Magistrate Court today.

Meanwhile, the victim’s body has been deposited at the Begoro District Hospital pending autopsy.