Man, 22, killed at Lawra-Burkina

The family of a young man, Victor Nasana Kungmaa, who was shot and killed by two unknown assailants believed to have crossed the border from Burkina Faso, have appealed to the police in the Lawra Municipality and the security agencies to find the culprits so they will face the law.

The family said that would be justice served for Victor, and give an assurance of the safety and security for young people living on the border town engaged in trading across the border.

According to the family, three days after the 22-year-old man was killed, another young man in a neighbouring village was also killed in similar fashion.

The family believed the act was carried out by the same people given the evidence they had gathered, and said they were willing to assist the police with information.

The father of Kungmaa, Albert Kungmaa Ziem, told the Daily Graphic that the incident had left the community in an uneasy calm.

Incident

Mr Ziem, narrating what happened, said on Sunday, April 16, 2023, Kungmaa, who lived at Brifoh-Cha, near Babile, and traded in cattle, sheep and other livestock between Burkina Faso and Techiman, received a phone call from a business acquaintance in Burkina to come over to the river bank to receive money owed him.

He said Kungmaa went with two brothers to cross the Black Volta River to Bor-Nakong in the Jabugu District of Burkina Faso to receive the money.

However, during a discussion between Kungmaa and his Burkinabe trading counterpart, an argument ensued, and before they realised, the latter shot the victim in the chest, and immediately jumped on the back of a motorbike and bolted with the rider.

Kungmaa was taken to the Babile Polyclinic but he was pronounced dead.

“We want justice for Victor and not just for him, as three days after he was shot, another youngman also died in a nearby village under similar circumstances.

“We found the telephone number used to call Victor and it was the same number that was used to call the other victim.

“It was the same plan and we suspect the assailant owed them money from a business transaction, and because he did not want to pay, he decided to rather kill them, hoping that he would not be found out.

“We are willing to assist the police in their investigations,” Mr Ziem said.

Confirmation

Confirming the incident, the Lawra Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Abraham Marteyfio, said a complaint was lodged by one Surplice Somi on April 16, 2023, that his brother had been shot dead by unknown assailants.

He confirmed that Kungmaa and the complainant, Somi, were residents of Brifoh-Cha, near Babile, who travelled across the Black Volta River to Bor-Nakong in the Jabugu District of Burkina Faso to collect some money owed Kungmaa by a business partner, and that the Burkinabe partner picked up a gun and shot Kungmaa in the chest when an argument ensued.

The municipal police commander said the police had launched an investigation into the incident.

The victim is yet to be buried.