A 19-year-old commercial motorbike rider (Okada rider) has been shot and killed, allegedly by suspected armed robbers at Awutu Mampong in the Awutu Senya West District of the Central Region.
The two suspects were later arrested and lynched by angry residents and fellow Okada riders.
The victim, identified as Kofi Mensah, had recently completed Senior High School and was working as an Okada rider to save money for further education.
According to sources, the two suspects hired Kofi Mensah from Awutu Mampong to Agona Mankrong. About five minutes into the trip, one of the men asked the rider to stop, claiming he needed to urinate.
When Kofi Mensah stopped, the suspects demanded the keys to the motorbike, threatening to kill him if he refused.
Despite pleading with them to take his mobile phone and the day’s sales—explaining that the motorbike was not his but a “work and pay” arrangement—the suspects allegedly shot him.
Assemblyman for the Agona Asafo Electoral Area, Ishmael Odoom, told Adom News that after shooting the victim, the assailants broke his neck, tied his hands with a rope, and fled with the motorbike.
Minutes later, another Okada rider passing by discovered Kofi Mensah’s lifeless body by the roadside and alerted colleagues. A search party was quickly formed, leading to the arrest of the two suspects at Agona Osedu.
According to the Assemblyman, the news of the rider’s death sparked outrage among residents and Okada riders, who proceeded to attack and butcher the suspects to death.
The bodies of Kofi Mensah and the two suspects have been conveyed by the Agona Swedru Police to the police hospital morgue as investigations continue.
Assemblyman Ishmael Odoom has since urged Okada riders to exercise caution to prevent similar incidents.