A 37-year-old illegal miner has been remanded into prison custody after allegedly raping, beating, and abandoning his wife’s teenage niece in a bush to die at Agona Nkwanta in the Western region.
The suspect, Ntow Adade Cudjoe, also known as ‘Adade Zee’, appeared before the Effia-Kwesimintsim District Court on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.
He has since been charged with murder contrary to Section 46 of the Criminal Offenses Act 1960 (Act 29). He has been remanded into prison custody pending further investigations.
According to the prosecution, led by Inspector Robert Yawson, the victim, Olivia Kwofie, 17, was a niece of the accused’s wife and had been living with the family at Agona Nkwanta for four months.
On the evening of Sunday, May 31, 2026, the accused allegedly told his wife he was leaving for a galamsey site at Nsuaem.
However, prosecutors say he secretly returned home around 10:00pm and laid in wait for the teenager at a junction near their house.
When Olivia arrived home by tricycle (pragyia) after attending church service, the accused allegedly confronted her, and subjected her to severe beatings before dragging her into the house.
Inside the house, prosecutors told the court that the accused tied the girl’s hands behind her back with a rope, bound her legs with a cloth, and used super glue to seal her mouth to prevent her from screaming. He then raped her.
After the assault, he reportedly dragged Olivia to a bush approximately 100 metres from the scene, where he picked up a sandcrete cement block and struck her repeatedly on the forehead, lower jaw, ribs, and stomach with intention of ending her life.
Believing she was dead, the accused fled and went into hiding at Nsuaem.
Olivia was later found still alive at around 4:30am the following morning by some farmers.
They quickly untied her and immediately reported the incident to the Agona Nkwanta Police. She was rushed to the Agona Nkwanta Polyclinic, where she was admitted for emergency treatment.
Sadly, she was later pronounced dead by a medical officer while still receiving treatment.
On June 2, 2026, police intelligence tracked down the accused to his hideout in Nsuaem, where he was arrested.
He was subsequently charged and brought before the court. The accused has been remanded into prison custody as investigations continue.
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By Eric Nana Gyetuah|Connect FM
