Bloodbath in Offinso: Man Allegedly K!lls Deacon, Attacks Chief Before Angry Youth Turn on Him

A chain of violence has left the Offinso Abrukyire community in the Ashanti Region reeling, after a 22-year-old man allegedly murdered a church deacon and seriously wounded the local chief before being lynched by enraged residents.

The suspect, identified only as Awineme, is accused of ambushing and killing Osei Kwabena, a Pentecost deacon who also served as caretaker farmer for the community’s chief, in a bush on Saturday, September 12.

According to Sumaila Zakari, the Assemblyman for the Samproso Electoral Area, Awineme returned home afterward drenched in blood and openly announced what he had done.

When the chief, Nana Osei Bonsu, attempted to get to the bottom of what had happened, Awineme reportedly turned the machete on him as well, inflicting severe wounds. “He came home drenched in blood. He announced that he had killed Osei Kwabena, so when the chief tried to understand the situation, he started attacking him,” Zakari recounted to Akoma FM.

The chief was rushed to St. Patrick Hospital in Offinso, where doctors have since warned that one of his hands may need to be amputated because of the severity of the machete injuries.

As the situation continued to unfold, witnesses say Awineme attempted to attack yet another person, an act that finally pushed local youth past their breaking point. An angry mob descended on him and lynched him before any further harm could be done.

The killing of the deacon, the attack on a revered traditional leader, and the mob justice that followed have left the farming community shaken, with residents now grappling with grief on multiple fronts. Police are expected to investigate the full circumstances behind the violence, including what triggered Awineme’s initial attack and the actions of those involved in his lynching.