Madman beheads farmer in Hohoe

Residents of Akpafu- Menpeasem in the Hohoe municipality of the Volta Region have been thrown into a state of shock and mourning following the gruesome murder of a farmer in the area.

The 70 year-old farmer, identified as Samuel Okiti, was allegedly beheaded by one Emmanuel Kadidze, believed to be mentally challenged.

The incident has also thrown family members, especially the wife of the deceased, into deep sorrow and pain.

Currently, Emmanuel is in the grips of the Hohoe police as investigation is being conducted into the matter.

According to the Assembly Member for the area, Andrews Nkansah Asase, the incident occurred on 28th June, 2016, at about 6:30 am.

He said on that fateful morning he received a call at about 7:00 am with infor­mation that Samuel Okiti had been beheaded and other parts of his body sev­ered by a suspected men­tally challenged person, Emmanuel Kadidze.

He quickly made a fol­low-up and gathered that Samuel had taken the lead to the farm after planning earlier to leave with his wife. On reaching the farm, which is about two kilome­ters from the main commu­nity, he was purportedly attacked by Emmanuel.

He said another resi­dent who had also gone to his farm, witnessed the incident, but in an attempt to rescue Samuel, he was chased by Emmanuel who was wielding a cutlass and threatening to also butcher him.

This farmer went to the community to raise alarm and a gongong was beaten to announce the incident and mobilize people to go and rescue the old man.

However, to their sur­prise, Emmanuel, who had dismembered the head and two hands of the old man, was carrying the parts in the same bowl his victim had sent to the farm to col­lect palm fruits.

The youth and other construction workers on a road project in the area gathered courage to appre­hend Emmanuel, who was by the time wielding a machete while sending the head of his victim to his house.

The group assisted the police to retrieve the other body parts of the deceased.

The police in Hohoe confirmed the incident and said that the deceased was at the morgue of the Hohoe Government Hospital.