Widow Murdered On Cocoa Farm

A 65-year-old widow, was last Thursday murdered on her cocoa farm at Agyaekukrom in the Wassa Amenfi East District in the Western Region. The police suspect the crime was masterminded by the family of the deceased's late husband.

The deceased, Maame Akua Somwah, was said to have been murdered with the connivance of a labourer she had hired to harvest riped cocoa beans on the farm.

The other collaborator in the heinous crime was said to be a family member of the deceased’s late husband.

The suspects, Kwame Brefo, the farmhand, aged 18 and Kwame Owusu, 65 have been arrested by the police while the body of the deceased has been deposited at the Wassa Akropong Government Hospital for autopsy.

Briefing the Daily Graphic, the District Police Crime Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Mr Emmanuel Nwinsori said before his death the late husband of the deceased, Kwabena Afaah, willed the cocoa farm to his step son to take care of himself and the mother.

He said seven years after the man’s death, the stepson and the mother continued to manage the farm as they had done before Afaah's death.

Mr Nwinsori said later, Afaah's family members started litigating with the stepson and his mother over ownership of the farm because the family members did not understand why their late brother had not bequeath the farm to the family, but willed it to the wife and the stepson.

He said although the chief and elders of the town intervened and asked the family to respect the will of their late relative, they refused.

According to Mr Nwinsori, the family based their claim on the fact that Maame Somwah did not have any child with the late Afaah and the only child was a step son who must not inherit their brother's property.

He said eventualliy the elders and the widow agreed that the farm be divided into two equal parts between her and her son on the one hand and the family on the other.

This decision, he said was taken on April 9, 2012 and had been expected to be executed Friday, April 13, only for the woman to be murdered in cold blood.

Mr Nwinsori said at about 2 p.m. on Thursday, the Maame Somwah decided to visit the farm to see the extent of work so far sone by Brefo.

Unknown to her, Brefo and Owusu, a relation of Afaah's had laid ambush for her and immediately she entered the farm, they clubbed her down.

According to the Crime Officer, Brefo confessed after his arrest that after clubbing the woman down, they used a machete to slash her throat.

He said Brefo also confessed that they later removed GHc300 tied to Maame Sonwah's waist and shared it between them.

Mr Nwinsori said the suspects were arraigned Friday and remanded to assist the police in their investigations.

graphic.com.gh