All seven suspects in connection with the gruesome murder of Mr Eric Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Cosy Hills Hotel (Jirapa Dubai), have been remanded into police custody by the Wa District Court.
The court presided over by Mr. Maxwell Maxibrain Titriku, ordered the suspects to appear again in two weeks while investigations continue.
Report suggests that six of the accused will be remanded in Wa Police custody, while the main suspect, Elyasah Mahama, will remain at Wa Central Prison.
On Sunday, February 11, 2024, following the incident, the police picked up Dookuuri Fausta, Braimah Kasim, Beyuo Felix, and Michael Klugey, who are all workers at the hotel, to assist with investigations.
Subsequently, Favour Nuobe and Charles Tuoze, also workers of Royal Cosy Hills Hotel, were arrested on Monday, February 12, 2024.
Meanwhile, the prime suspect, Mr. Mahama, was reportedly apprehended at a hideout in Takoradi and flown to Wa for interrogations.
The former HR manager for the hotel, Mr. Mahama, was dismissed by Mr. Eric Johnson on Thursday, February 8, 2024, just three days before the murder.
‘Jirapa Dubai’ CEO murdered
According to the police statement, Mr Eric Johnson was found dead in a pool of blood with deep wounds in his room on the hotel premises on Sunday, February 11.
The police have since commenced an investigation into the incident. One person was earlier detained to assist with the investigation.
The Ghana Police Service had earlier arrested seven more suspects in connection with the death of Mr Eric Johnson, CEO of Royal Cosy Hills Hotel, nicknamed ‘Jirapa Dubai’ in the Upper West Region.
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The alleged murder of the business mogul was made known to the public in a Facebook post by one Kennedy Mornah, a reporter from the region. It is believed that Mr. Mornah has a close relationship with the deceased CEO.
”Owner of Jirapa Dubai allegedly murdered? How did we get here? A very sad way indeed to begin the year,” Kennedy Mornah posted on Facebook.
Meanwhile, some unconfirmed reports are connecting the gruesome murder of Mr. Johnson to chieftaincy issues in the Jirapa District, where the deceased hails from.
According to reports, Mr. Eric Johnson was allegedly complicit in a plot to force the Jirapa traditional area’s residents to elect a certain individual as chief.
The move by Mr. Johnson, according to reports, infuriated certain members of the royal family, who petitioned him along with other family members and the Tendaaba, who were plotting to name a chief for the traditional area.