Police Malam Buys Human Being

Yaw Owusu, a 25-year-old farm labourer from Kofi Owusu cottage, near Sefwi Aprutu in the Western Region who wanted to sell his fellow farm labourer to a detective police corporal, has been arrested. The policeman had feigned interest in the deal and posed as a Malam. On December 17, 2011, Owusu, the suspect, approached one Yaw Addae, a driver and native of Sefwi Aprutu, and asked if the latter could help him find a customer to whom he could sell a human being; for he was in dire need of money. Addae feigned interest and alerted the police boss in the area, who asked the detective police corporal stationed at Sefwi Wiawso to handle the case. On December 19, 2011, the detective police corporal, dressed as a well-to-do Malam, drove in a posh car to Sefwi Apratu after sending word through somebody to Yaw Owusu that he would be there to buy the said human being for some rituals. The �Malam� arrived at 2:00 pm and met the suspect in his room, where the transaction began. Yaw Owusu said the victim was just nearby and that he was going to bring him; but the �Malam� insisted that they agreed on the price first. Owusu agreed to sell his fellow farm labourer, Francis Adabre alias Kusasi, 27, for GH�3,000. Owusu had earlier told Kusasi, his friend, that he was negotiating for some work for the two of them and periodically invited the colleague to his house. Kusasi, a known drunkard, was therefore invited by Owusu that day to his house and shown to the Malam. He introduced the Malam as the man who would engage the two of them to do some big job on his cocoa farm, which would fetch them good money. Owusu asked Kusasi to sit in a room nearby and the Malam went to his car, brought a bag containing money and instantly paid the GH�3,000. As the suspect was counting the money in the room, he told the Malam that he had two other persons for sale and that transaction would involve collecting some money and a KIA pride car, to which the Malam agreed. In a twinkle of an eye, a security operative in mufti came into the room and told Yaw Owusu that he was under arrest for selling a human being to a Malam and he was whisked away. When DSP Raymond Erzuah, Sefwi Wiawso District Police Commander was contacted, he confirmed the story and said Yaw Owusu would soon be processed for court.