A 25-year-old man, Mawuli Ahianyo, who refused to pay 80Gp, demanded by a driver and his mate as the fare from Nsawam to Okanta, a farming community eight kilometres from Nsawam, died last Saturday when he was allegedly assaulted by the driver and his mate.

The deceased, believed to be a farmer and in the company of an unidentified lady, was said to have joined a Hyundai Grace commercial mini-bus, with registration number GR 8308 Y, from the Nsawam Shell Filling Station to Okanta at about 1.30 p.m.

The deceased, who felt being cheated by the driver, Kwame Tuga, 25, and his 18-year-old mate, Raphael Ayeh, 18, was said to have insisted on paying only 40Gp as the fare.

Enraged by the deceased’s attitude, the mate was also said to have insisted on the 80Gp when the deceased got to his destination and was about to alight, leading to a confrontation between them.

In the process the driver, who could not tolerate the behaviour of the deceased, threatened to drive him from Okanta to Suhum but was prevented by the deceased, who held the steer of the vehicle and diverted it into a nearby bush.

The driver then alighted, allegedly attacked the deceased, and assaulting him with the assistance of his mate.

As a result, the deceased was said to have become unconscious, while the lady who was in his company began shouting for help but the passengers on board the vehicle, incensed by the deceased’s conduct, declined to go to his aid.

However, a good Samaritan, who heard the cry of the lady, emerged from a nearby farm and rushed to the scene, where he impressed upon the driver and the mate to rush the deceased to the Nsawam Government Hospital.

On the way to the hospital, the good Samaritan was said to have prevailed on the driver and the mate to first make a report to the Nsawam Police Station before proceeding to the hospital but the deceased was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.

The Nsawam Police Commander, Superintendent Daniel Asare Nyampong, who confirmed the incident to the Daily Graphic, said the police were yet to conduct investigations into the incident.

He said the body of the deceased had been sent to the Police Hospital for an autopsy.


Source: Daily Graphic