A 24-year-old man, Ebenezer Donkor, has been found dead at Eshiem, a community near Kojokrom in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis of the Western Region.
The body of the deceased was discovered under a high-tension pole with visible bruises and marks believed to be from severe beatings.
According to family sources, Ebenezer had reportedly left home on Saturday afternoon with two neighbours, identified only as Hamza and Pistol, in search of work.
The pair, however, returned home the following day without him.
Hamza and Pistol allegedly told the deceased’s landlady that they were attacked by unknown assailants who attempted to rob them of their phones.
They claimed they fled and left Ebenezer behind. However, while leading family members to the scene, the two reportedly absconded.
Community members allege that Hamza is a known thief who has long been on their wanted list.
They suspect he may have lured the deceased into the area for criminal activity but fled when the situation turned violent.
Ebenezer’s mother, Theresa Baidoo, said she had often cautioned her son about the company he kept.
“He is my first child. Though he rented a room with his girlfriend in the same community, I always warned him about his friends, but he would not listen. This evening, I was told he had gone missing, and we later found his lifeless body,” she indicated.
His girlfriend, Naomi Andoh, who is said to be one month pregnant, recounted her last communication with him.
“Around 4 p.m. on Saturday, he left home with our neighbours Hamza and Pistol. I was chatting with him until his phone went off around midnight. I didn’t hear from him again until I was called and told his body had been found. We’ve lived together for two years, and now he is gone, leaving me alone,” she said in tears.
The landlady of the deceased who was at the scene indicated that she did not know the deceased to be a thief.
“They are all tenants in my house at Egyam. On Sunday morning, Hamza and Pistol returned, and when I asked about Ebenezer, they said some men tried to rob them, so they ran and left him behind. Unfortunately, we later found his dead body. I do not know Ebenezer to be a thief. It is only the two who were with him that can explain what happened, but they have run away,” she added.
Assembly member for the area, Bismark Eshun, expressed worry over rising cases of robbery in the community.
“We have been facing a lot of theft cases here. I was informed someone had been lynched, and when we arrived, it turned out to be Ebenezer. From what the family says, he is not a thief, but his friends are known to be. I cannot say what exactly led to his death,” he indicated.
Some residents, however, insist that Hamza is notorious for theft and may have dragged the deceased into trouble.
“Hamza is a well-known thief here. Just a few days ago, he stole someone’s phone, and we’ve been searching for him. We believe Ebenezer may have unknowingly followed him and lost his life,” some community members told Nhyiraba Paa Kwesi Simpson, the host of Connect FMs Omanbapa morning show.
The body has since been conveyed to the mortuary.
