Prof Benneh was killed for resisting robbery attempt by cleaner – Police

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has revealed that the late University of Ghana law lecturer, Prof Emmanuel Yaw Benneh, was allegedly killed because he resisted a robbery attempt by his cleaner, James Nana Womba.

According to the Police, the 29-year-old, in his confession statement admitted to killing the professor when he, together with another person, tried to rob him.

James was on Wednesday, September 30, charged with conspiracy to commit crime and murder by the Kaneshie District Court.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, October 2, the Director General of the Police CID, COP Ken Yeboah, said, “Based on forensic evidence gathered from the crime scene, the suspect was subjected to further interrogation and he broke down and confessed that he masterminded the murder of the professor.

“Initially, he mentioned the names of some suspects but he has changed that assertion and mentioned somebody else. He has admitted that he did commit the crime with one other person.”

COP Ken Yeboah further disclosed that the suspect had a duplicate key to Prof Benneh’s house “and the idea was to rob him but the professor was not giving in as they expected and so they hit him with an iron rod and tired him, gagged him and he died.”

Items stolen

According to COP Ken Yeboah, two phones belonging to the late professor, as well as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) and GH¢450 were taken from Prof Benneh’s house.

“I must say that the prime suspect has admitted taking the money and the CPU which according to him, he dumped in a septic tank because he was entertaining fears that some cameras must have captured him,” he said.

According to him, James also gave clues as to where he kept some of the items he stole from the late professor and where he had sold some of them.

He said investigators had been dispatched to the crime scene to conduct further investigations and retrieve the CPU as well as the iron rod with which the suspect used in hitting the professor

The body of Prof Benneh was discovered in his residence on Saturday, September 12, lying in a pool of blood, with his hands tied behind him and his body bearing cuts all over.

Four persons, all workers at his residence, were earlier arrested to assist in the investigations.

Three of them, Christian Pobee, 32, cleaner; Isaac Botchwey, 41, houseboy; and Adams Mensah Mansur, 52, gardener; were on Wednesday, discharged by the Kaneshie District Court.

Source: grahic.com