The Attorney-General’s (AG) Department has advised that the two accused persons involved in the killing of 11-year-old Ishmael Mensah for alleged money ritual purposes at Lamptey Mills, a suburb of Kasoa in the Central Region, be charged with murder.
This came to light during the hearing of the case in court on Wednesday, June 16, 2021.
The two persons are Nicholas Kini and Eric Nyarko.
Counsel for the accused persons, Samuel Attuah, is however optimistic that the case would be moved from the Ofaakor District Court to a High Court.
“The AG has advised that the two be charged for conspiracy to murder and the file forwarded to the AG’s office for further directives for the bill of indictment and sum of evidence, so we can start the trial as early as possible, which is good because everyone is interested in this case. So, we are very happy that the AG has advised in this direction,” he said.
He said he is still pursuing the bail application for his clients.
“I am going to the High Court for the bail application for my clients hopefully by next week,” Mr Attuah added.
A family spokesperson for the late Ishmael Mensah, Samad Akalilu, said although they are happy with the directive from the AG’s office to charge the two with murder, they want a speedy trial.
“We want an expeditious trial. We are not happy when a day passes, and this case is not fast-tracked. But on the flip side, we are happy because we have been waiting for what they say is the AG’s advice, but on another hand, we are generally not happy because the case is still delaying,” the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, the judge, Eric Oheneba Antwi-Boasiako, adjourned the case to July 15, 2021, for further hearing.
Ishmael Mensah was allegedly killed by two teenagers in early April 2021.
Reports indicate that the teenagers lured the deceased into an uncompleted building, and smashed his head with a club and cement blocks, killing him instantly.
They subsequently buried him in the building. Police said the suspects planned to recover the victim’s body later that night for the supposed money rituals.
In connection with the killing, Charity Mensah, a traditional priestess, was also arrested. She was granted bail on the basis that she is a nursing mother.