Teacher Kills Money Lender

There was a moving scene in Mpatasie, a suburb of Berekum in the Bono Region, last Saturday, after a 50-year-old teacher hacked his pal, a money lender, and fled.

Foster Amankona, a teacher at St Monica’s Basic School in Berekum, who is popularly known as Tee Taller, committed the gruesome murder around 7:30am after exhibiting signs of frustration and anguish over a demand by the lender, Francis Opoku, aka Paa Yaw, for him to repay GH¢1,000 the suspect took for a friend.

The late Opoku, 35, an electrical appliance dealer, was hacked several times on the head and hands with a machete by Amankona, who served as a guarantor for the loan of GH¢1,000 for a friend.

Residents said Amankona hacked the money lender when he went to the suspect’s house to demand payment since his friend he guaranteed the loan for, had absconded.

According to an eyewitness, heated argument ensued between the two during which Amankona rushed to his room and brought a sharp machete to attack Opoku several times.

Confirming the bloody incident, the Assembly member of the area, Gabriel Kyere, said that Opoku went to the house of Amankona several times for him to produce his friend to settle his debt or risk paying the debt himself.

He narrated that Amankona became furious when Opoku told him he would be held liable to pay the debt if he failed to produce his friend, leading to hot verbal exchanges.

Amankona quickly dashed into his room and brought out a machete which he used to slash Opoku. He was taken to the Holy Family Hospital at Berekum where he was pronounced dead shortly on arrival.

The incident was reported to police, but the time the law enforcers arrived at the crime scene, Amankona had fled and has since not been found.

FROM Daniel Y Dayee, Berekum