NDC Youth Organiser Sustains Machete Wounds Over Campaign Cash

A Youth Organiser of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has sustained machete wounds following a misunderstanding between him and a colleague party member over last December election campaign money.
The victim, Ebenezer Akrade, who is the party’s organiser at Awutu Nyarkokwaa in the Awutu Senya West Constituency of the Central Region, is currently receiving treatment at the Salvation Army Hospital at Agona Duakwa in the Agona East District.

Eyewitness account

Eyewitnesses told the Daily Graphic yesterday that during the campaign, the Member of Parliament for the constituency, Mrs Gizella Tetteh-Agbotui, who was then campaigning for the parliamentary seat, allegedly gave an amount of GH¢ 400 to the suspect, Emmanuel Kweku Lartey, who is also the branch secretary of the party at Awutu Nyarkokwaa, to be shared among branch executive of the party to facilitate their work on election day.

After the election, all effort to get the branch secretary to release the money to his colleagues proved futile.

According to one of the witnesses, Mr Joseph Obeng, the victim, after realising that the said amount was given to Lartey, demanded his share.

About 1:30 pm last Thursday, Akrade met Lartey, who was on his way to the farm, and greeted him but Lartey refused to respond.

He said Lartey, who was then in front of a shop, suddenly became angry and confronted the victim resulting in a heated argument.

And in the course of the verbal exchanges, Lartey allegedly pulled a machete, which was under his armpit, and inflicted deep wounds on the victims face and back.

Akrade was said to have fallen down in the process and bled profusely, thus attracting some residents to the scene who rushed him to the hospital on a motorbike.

Confirmation

A source at the Mankrong Junction Police station confirmed the incident to the Daily Graphic and said Lartey handed himself over to the police.

He is currently assisting the police in their investigations.