The police in Takoradi have arrested a 28-year-old man for stabbing his rival to death in a controversy over the paternity and the right to custody of an 18-month-old child.
Daniel Kwesi Prah, who claims to be the father of the child, engaged his rival, who also happens to be his friend, Ahmed Tijani Jibril, aka Alpha, 28, in a fight and in the process stabbed Jibril to death with a screw driver.
Prah, a resident of Effiakuma, a suburb of Sekondi/Takoradi, has been remanded in police custody pending investigations, while the body of the deceased has been deposited at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital mortuary.
According to the police, Prah claimed to have first entered into a relationship with the child�s mother before Jibril married her after they (Prah and the woman) had separated.
While the woman was in a relationship with Prah, they had a child and then separated after a series of problems in the relationship.
After the separation, the woman married Jibril and became pregnant not long afterwards.
Prah told the police that he suspected the woman became pregnant for him before they separated, but when he enquired from her if he was the father, she denied it, resulting in a long-standing dispute.
The acting Takoradi District Police Commander, DSP Awinaba Huseini, told the Daily Graphic that last Tuesday when the child�s mother was leaving home for her usual business activities, she left the child in the care of her sister.
Prah, who is an auto carburetor specialist at Effiakuma, went for the child from its aunt and promised to bring the child back.
The Police Commander said the child�s mother and her new husband met Prah on the way and questioned him as to how he had come by the child.
He said the suspect did not take kindly to the interrogation and threatened to beat the child�s mother.
He said a fight ensued between Prah and Jibril when the latter attempted to protect his wife and the child.
DSP Huseini said Prah, who was armed with a screw driver, stabbed Jibril in the neck, damaging his veins.
Jibril, who bled profusely, was rushed to the Effia-Nkwanta Hospital but he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The acting district commander said a report was later made to the police and just when they were preparing to invite the suspect, he went to the police to report a case of assault against Jibril.
He said after the police had listened to Prah, he was arrested and sent to court, where he was remanded to help the police in their investigations.
<<Print>>