Cocoa farmer arrested for child trafficking
A thirty-year old cocoa farmer, Kudjo Nyakle Kussasi, of Sali, a village near Adabokrom in the Western Region, has been arrested by the Berekum Divisional Police Command, for attempting to sell his nine year old son, Clement Kwadwo Nyakle.
Nyakle Kussasi was arrested by the Berekum police on Tuesday August 31, 2010, around 6:45 p.m., when he brought his son to Berekum to sell.
An informant, who had earlier been contacted by the suspect to assist him sell the child, also informed the Berekum Station Officer, Inspector Alex Oliver Anderson.
Station Officer Inspector Anderson, subsequently, disguised himself and posed as a Mallam and the prospective buyer, and met the suspect and the informant at the GINAT Hotel in Berekum.
Nyakle Kussasi took his to the hotel, and presented him to the Station Officer, who had posed as the buyer, and initially demanded GH¢20,000 as the price of the boy.
However, after bargaining for a while, it was agreed that the disguised Mallam should pay GH¢10,500 for the child, but as soon as they concluded the bargaining, the police entered the room and arrested the suspect, Kudjo Nyakle Kussasi.
He is currently in police custody, whilst Clement Nyakle is under the care of Inspector Anderson.
According to Inspector Anderson, investigations were still ongoing to prepare the suspect for court.
The suspect, upon interrogation, disclosed that he was married to one Cynthia Anakle, with three children who are all boys, but divorced the wife six months ago.
He continued that after the divorce, the wife took away the youngest son, Awimbei Nyakle, who is four years old to Zebilla, and left behind the two, Kofi Bismark Nyakle, 8, who he alleged is at the village, and the victim, Clement Nyakle.
The suspect narrated that he was selling the child to raise money to ease himself from the enormous economic hardship that had befallen him after the divorce.
At the time of filing this story, police personnel had been detailed to the village at Adobokrom with the suspect and the son, for further investigations.