A 50-year-old farmer who was shot in the head by another farmer over the ownership of an Odum tree, is in the intensive care unit of the Koforidua General Hospital.

Mensah Delfor’s assailant, Daniel Opata, 37, took to his heels after the act, but was arrested and is in the grips of the Asesewa police.

A police source at Asesewa told the Times yesterday that Opata and one Jonathan Tetteh, 45, had over sometime now been at each other’s throat over the ownership of the Odum tree located at Ayiwase village, near Asesewa in the Eastern Region.

Although the case had not been resolved, Jonathan allegedly sold the disputed tree to Mensah on April 9, and he in turn employed a chainsaw operator on April 25 to fell it.

When Opata got wind of the transaction, he contacted Mensah on April 27 and warned him against felling the tree because its ownership was still in dispute and Jonathan, therefore, had no right to dispose of it.

Mensah ignored him and instead employed labourers on April 28 to cart the lumber he had sawn from the tree home. Mensah was said to have gone to the bush ahead of the labourers and allegedly carried one board to another spot.

The labourers, who saw Mensah carrying the board a few metres away from the spot heard a gunshot and saw Mensah fall to the ground screaming that Opata had shot him.

The labourers then saw Opata fleeing the scene with a single barrel gun.

Opata was arrested on and is said to be in police custody pending further investigations.

When contacted, the Asesewa District Commander, DSP Daniel Ansong Dankyi confirmed the story and said investigations are still ongoing.


Source: The Ghanaian Times