February 18, 2025
By Isaac Nsiah Foster
The Accra Gbese District Court, presided over by Her Worship Akosua Appiah Anaafi Gyasi, has once again remanded Ibrahim Kayaba, a 31-year-old Togolese farmer identified as West Africa’s most wanted criminal, into police custody for three weeks.
Kayaba, whose full name is Ibrahim Benbengou Kayaba, is expected to reappear before the court on March 10, 2025.
Chief Inspector Abubakar, the investigator handling the case, informed the court that he would notify other accused persons—who are currently on bail—to appear on the same date. He also stated that the case docket would be sent to the Attorney General’s office for legal advice.
Previous Court Details
According to the prosecution, led by Police Inspector Richard Ackumey, Kayaba is among eight suspects charged with murder. Initially, four suspects were arrested, while others remained at large. Kayaba’s recent arrest has increased the number of those in custody to five.
The suspects who were previously arrested and granted bail include:
Seidu Sambian
Bashiru Alhassan (alias “Culture”)
Lamonque Joseph (alias “Abu Signoini”)
Kalmogue Guinansoia (alias “Sumaila”)
Case Facts
Inspector Ackumey revealed that on April 16, 2022, the Accra Regional CID received intelligence about a murder case involving a group of men who had allegedly buried the victim’s body at an uncompleted building site in Adjen-Kotoku.
Following the tip-off, police officers from Accra and Adjen-Kotoku visited the crime scene and arrested the first suspect, Seidu Sambian, who was linked to the crime.
The victim, identified as Kwadwo Adama Kuraj, was found buried under a heap of sand at the site. Police investigations established that the suspects—Seidu Sambian, Bashiru Alhassan, Lamonque Joseph, Kalmogue Guinansoia, Ibrahim Kayaba, Yakubu Ismael, Gounyatiene Danigou (alias “Soldier”), and another man known only as Koffie—were involved in the murder.
According to the prosecution, Lamonque Joseph, the alleged leader of the group, accused Kuraj of betrayal, claiming that he had collected GH₵800,000 from a client without his knowledge. Joseph reportedly conspired with the other suspects to murder Kuraj and instructed Sambian to order a trip of sand to cover the body.
Further investigations revealed that the suspects lured Kuraj and another victim, Abdulai (who is still missing), to Accra for a meeting at Joseph’s residence. While some of the suspects denied involvement, Joseph admitted that the land where the body was discovered belonged to him.
Recent Developments
On January 6, 2025, Ibrahim Kayaba was arrested from his hideout in Kumasi. During his arrest, police also retrieved an unregistered Toyota Corolla, suspected to have been used to transport the deceased.
Inspector Ackumey informed the court that, although the case docket was submitted to the Attorney General’s office over two years ago, no legal advice has been received. He assured the court that efforts to apprehend the remaining suspects and conclude investigations were ongoing.
The case has been adjourned to March 10, 2025, when all suspects are expected to appear before the court.