A 28-year-old man, Yaw Opoku, has been sent to his early grave after he was allegedly stabbed to death by his close pal following a row over GH¢20 at Abo near Tweapiase in the Amansie Central District of the Ashanti Region on Sunday.
He suffered stab wounds to the lower part of his chest and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the Obuasi Government Hospital.
The Jacobu police arrested the suspect, Isaac Opoku, 29, who allegedly had a spat with Yaw Opoku over GH¢20 he owed the victim’s wife at the Abo community, also close to Obuasi.
DSP Douglas Kumah, Jacobu District Police Commander, who confirmed the incident, said that the suspect turned himself in after the act.
Isaac was said to have been “like a wounded lion” when he set upon Yaw Opoku, a father of five, with a two-inch knife after a fight broke out between them.
The police chief narrated that Isaac Opoku and Yaw Opoku, who both worked as ‘galamsey’ operators in one of the communities in the district, had known each other since childhood and shared an interest in prospecting gold.
DSP Kumah said the victim decided to give money to his wife, Dina Opoku, and asked the suspect, who was on his way home, to take it to the wife.
According to the police, although Yaw Opoku handed over GH¢100 to Isaac, the suspect gave the woman only GH¢ 80 and refused to give Dina the remaining GH¢20, despite persistent demands.
After it was brought to his attention, Yaw proceeded to his friend’s house to demand a refund of the remaining amount, which culminated in a heated argument.
DSP Kumah disclosed that Yaw threw away food being prepared in a saucepan – an action which angered Isaac. The saucepan, Isaac said was bought on credit from Yaw’s wife.
“The deceased [Yaw] apparently became upset at what he saw as lack of respect for him when the suspect told him he had made a cash swap with the GH¢ 20 for a down payment made to Yaw’s wife to buy the saucepan,” the police boss narrated.
The duo squared up to each other, and Isaac, who had allegedly picked up a knife, gave his friend a fatal stab, leading to his untimely death.
Yaw Opoku died from severe blood loss after Isaac Opoku’s knife penetrated his lungs and severed veins and arteries in his stomach.
Isaac ran to the Obuasi Central Police Station and told the officers he had killed his friend.
The paper gathered that Yaw’s wife, Dina Opoku, was “absolutely devastated” by her husband’s death as the man was the bread winner.
The couple had five children with the oldest aged nine and the last born barely two years old.
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