A former headteacher of the Bantama SDA Primary School in the Sene West District in the Bono East Region has been shot and killed by suspected armed robbers on the Bantama Kwame Danso road.
The teacher, Elijah Asante, who was one of the enumerators for the 2021 Population and Housing Census met his untimely death on his way home from an ongoing workshop for field officers in the District capital.
The incident occurred on Thursday evening at about 7:00pm.
Speaking to JoyNews’ Anass Sabit, brother of the deceased, Enoch Asante, said that at the time his brother was stopped, the robbers had asked some passengers from another vehicle they had stopped to lie down.
“He was on a motorbike, so they stopped him too. After stopping him, we were not there, but what we heard was that there was a gunshot and one person was dead. So they reported it to the police, they rushed to the scene and picked the body to the hospital.”
He stated that some relatives who saw the motorcycle, at the police station where it had been sent to aid in the investigation, informed the family.
The mother of the former headteacher said she was worried her son had not returned home the night before as expected. She added that she was heartbroken to hear the news of her hardworking son’s passing.
The nephew of the deceased, Kwame Christopher, indicated that his uncle was a breadwinner for the family who took care of many relatives. His death, he said, is a devastating blow to the family.
According to the residents, this is not the first robbery case or murder they have witnessed in the community. They appealed to the government for a heightened security service, stating that they are shaken by the incidents.
Enoch Asante said that there have been cases where a pastor, a driver’s mate among others were murdered and the police failed to catch the suspected robbers.
“But a police officer was killed and within two weeks they identified those robbers. So, we are appealing to the government to help with investigations to arrest the suspects.”
“We are appealing to the government to also bring more police and security in the district so the teachers in the villages can be protected from these cases, especially those still doing the course.”