Man kills boy, injures four for disturbing his sleep

Kobina Amakye

A 10-year-old boy died and four others sustained severe injuries, when a 40-year-old fisherman, Kobina Amakye, threw an improvised explosive device at them for disturbing his siesta.

The body of the deceased, Kweku Mensah, has been deposited at the Central Regional Hospital while another child, aged six, is in a very critical condition.

One of the children escaped unhurt.
The children, aged six to 14 were said to be playing behind Amakye's house at Moree, near Cape Coast Sunday.

Amakye, a father of four, was said to have told the police that he was angered by the noise the children were making when he was trying to catch some sleep.

He said he threw the explosive at them just to scare them away and that he took the action without the intention to cause harm.

He looked indifferent while in cuffs at the police station with blisters on his hand, which he (Amakye) said was the result of the injury he sustained while he was throwing the explosive at the children.

The Kotokuraba District Police Commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Mr Emmanuel Tetteh, told newsmen that the police had information that about 2p.m. on Sunday, Amakye was relaxing in his room at Moree while the six children were playing behind the house.

He said Amakye was said to have told the children to leave the place because they were disturbing him, but they stayed on to play.

Amakye then got a rubber container, filled it with premix fuel and tore pieces of cement papers into the fuel and lit it.

He then threw the container into the group of children behind his room.

He bolted after the incident.
Mr Tetteh said the police mounted a search for Amakye the whole night and arrested him at his hideout behind the Cape Coast Castle.