Anyinamae Chief Demands Justice For Slain Young Farmer

Slain farmer Kwesi Yohannes

The Anyinamaehene of Anyinamae community in the Krachi Nchumuru District, Nana Nyasunpo Atormachon Anyinam III, has called on the Volta Regional Police Command to investigate the murder of a young farmer, Kwesi Yohannes seven months ago.

Slain farmer, Yohannes was shot to death by some youth members of Boafri community, a neigbouring farming community, also in the Krachi Nchumuru District of newly the created Oti Region.

Nana Anyinam told Journalists in Accra that, on Tuesday March 8, 2018, farmers from his community (Anyinamae) went to their yam farms to cultivate cassava and whilst on the farmland, the Chief of Boafri sent some armed young men to warn them not to cultivate cassava on the yam farm.

He said, he quickly dispatched some of his elders to Boafri Chief Palace after the farmers reported the incident to him for confirmation.

According to the Chief, the elders returned with confirmation that, indeed it was the Chief of Boafri who ordered his men to stop the farmers from cultivation cassava.

Subsequently, the incident was reported to the District Chief Executive and the two community leaders were summoned before the District Security Council (DISEC).

He added that a Committee was set up to investigate the matter.

He said, whilst he and his people were waiting from the DISEC investigation, he had information that crops including yam, pepper and other cereals belonging to farmers from his community were destroyed.

The chief stressed that as a law abiding citizens, they decided to lodge a complain at the District office.

Nana Anyinam stated that, without any provocation, the youth of Boafri on October 30, 2018, attacked farmers from his community who were on their farms and in the process shot Yohannes to death.

According to the chief, a medical report from the Kete-Krachi government Hospital dated November 1, 2018 further revealed that Yohannes death was caused by, "Respiratory Failure Secondary to Right Haemothorax from Gun Shot Wound."

The Chief said, since the incident no one has been arrested and when the police and the District Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) were confronted, they claimed investigations were still ongoing.

He explained that he on several occasions had to restrain his youth from retaliating because of effect of communal conflict and its tendency on peace and development.

"As a Chief, I really understand and I know the effect of conflicts. That is why I have decided and also advised my youth not retaliate," he intimated.

Nana Anyinam therefore called on the Inspector General of Police(IGP) through the Volta Regional Police Command to speed up with investigation to apprehend the perpetrators to face the full rigors of the law, stressing that," at the ground of peace, justice must work to fish out the perpetrators for their bad deeds and to serve as deterrent to others or else they will gain more advantages to do what is more than this in future."

“I am also using this medium to call on all witnesses who may have information on the killing of Yohannes to come forward and help give justice to his wife, child and the entire family, ” said the Chief of Anyinamae of KrachiNchumuru.

The people of Anyinmae, he said are peace-loving agrarians and law-abiding citizens whose livelihood depends largely on the production of yam, cassava, pepper and cereals, but are since been disturbed by the killing of Yohannes and other threats of death.

Farmers in the community, he added have repeatedly filed cases of violence and harassments against the youth of Boafri community yet nothing positive has been achieved.