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11.06.2007 General News

Farmer Commits Suicide Over Wife's Infidelity

By Daily Graphic
Farmer Commits Suicide Over Wife's Infidelity
11.06.2007 LISTEN

The spectre of love-related killings which hit the Akyem area over the past week reared its head in the Ashanti Region over the weekend when a jealous husband turned the gun on himself and blew his chest open.

The ghastly incident took place at Kuntanase in the Bosomtwe Atwima Kwanwoma District of the Ashanti Region, where the farmer who suspected his wife of infidelity, shot himself in broad daylight after a fruitless attempt to kill the woman.

Eyewitnesses said Yaw Tawiah, the deceased, dragged his wife, Adwoa Sraa, 35, to their bedroom but while in the process of looking for a gun with the intent of murdering her, the woman escaped.

Tawiah, known to be a drunkard and in his early 30s, was said to have gone behind a drinking spot, pressed the trigger with his foot and completely shattered his chest.

His neighbours told the Daily Graphic that hours before the act Tawiah had queried his wife for attending a funeral in a nearby town, Yaase, leaving behind their one-and-a-half-year-old child.

He was said to have dragged his wife from the funeral grounds at Yaase and given her some slaps amidst threats to murder her.

Residents of the town said Tawiah, moments before his death, told the bar attendant to tell the wife to take very good care of their children.

The couple have two children but the woman had four others from an earlier marriage.

According to the neighbours, they overheard Tawiah saying that he suspected his wife to be having an affair with another man.

After escaping, Adwoa told the Daily Graphic that on the morning of the incident, Tawiah requested that they should go to the farm but she explained that she was not well.

According to her, she later, around 2.30 p.m., decided to attend a funeral at Yaase since the deceased was a close friend and, therefore, decided to leave their one-and-a-half-year-old baby in the care of her older son.

She said on his return from the farm, Tawiah did not take kindly to her decision to attend the funeral and followed up to the funeral grounds.

Adwoa said Tawiah came to the funeral grounds furious and dragged her away towards Kuntanase.

She continued that on their way home, Tawiah, who was reeking of alcohol, wanted to know why she had to leave the baby behind but just as she tried to explain that she never intended to stay long at the funeral, her husband slapped her.

The couple continued to exchange words till they got home, and according to the woman, as soon as they entered the bedroom, Tawiah started searching for his gun.

Sensing danger, Adwoa said she managed to free herself from his grips and took to her heels and Tawiah chased her with a machete but she managed to escape into the room of a neighbour.

Tawiah was said to have run back to the house to take the gun, but Adwoa was nowhere to be found, since, she claimed, she had gone back to Yaase to pick her cloth, which she had left behind.

The proprietor of the drinking spot, Wofa K. Badu, told the Daily Graphic that Tawiah came there with the gun and requested a stick of cigarette and also settled a debt he owed from the previous day's drink.

He said Tawiah, who had blood shot eyes, sat outside the drinking spot and placed the gun by his side. He said Tawiah told him to tell his wife to take very good care of their children, making him become suspicious that Tawiah was up to something dangerous.

However, since Tawiah always came to the drinking spot with the single barrelled gun on his way from the farm, he did not suspect him of having any bad intentions.

Wofa Badu said just as he decided to leave the scene to check on his lotto sales, he heard a gunshot.

He said when he rushed back, he saw Tawiah on the ground writhing in pain with blood oozing from his chest.

He said he screamed for help but Tawiah died shortly afterward.

The body has since been deposited at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) for autopsy.

Story by Enoch Darfah Frimpong

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