Six persons have been arrested for inserting a stick into the anus of a teenage boy at Agogo in the Asante Akim North District of Ashanti region.

The victim (name withheld), is alleged to have stolen from an agrochemical shop in Agogo Market, owned by one of the suspects, Mr Obeng Amoako, 79.

The Agogo Police have arrested all six men, including Mr Obeng Amoako, 79, who claims the boy broke into his shop.

Others are; Prince Asadu, Kofi Bonti, all drivers aged 29 and 42 respectively and Obeng Mensah, a 30-year-old porter.

The rest are; Osei Bonsu, alias Assibey, 53, a driver and 64-year old farmer, Boakye Danquah.

Konongo Divisional Police Commander, Chief Superintendent, Shaibu Abubakar Sadique-Osei, who described the maltreatment meted out to the teenager as barbaric, said Police are on a manhunt for more suspects. 

The 16-year-old boy writhes in pain on a bed at the Emergency Ward of the Agogo Presbyterian Hospital during a visit by the JoyNews team on Sunday afternoon.

The team laid hands on a video recording. The victim is heard crying for help in the video, recorded by his captors.

His attackers tied his hands to the back, stood on his neck whilst pressing him onto the ground with his face down. 

Behind him, were men who cheered another one on, to thrush a stick into the anus of the boy in front of a shop at Agogo Market at about 2:30 a.m. 

The man who is seen in the video pushing the stick into the anus has been identified as Francis Obeng Amoako, owner of the agrochemical shop.

Preliminary Police investigations, however, have not established any break-in as the owner is seen opening his shop in a video recording which was later circulated on social media platforms.

The victim was found in an uncompleted building, a day after the incident and sent to the hospital.

The Konongo Divisional Commander, Chief Superintendent Shaibu Abubakar Sadique-Osei said their attention was drawn to a video in circulation of the incident on WhatsApp.

“Police had information, that is, on July 9, 2021, that there’s a video circulating on social media, precisely WhatsApp. So they intercepted the video and realized a juvenile was a victim in that video.

So quickly, they organised themselves and then they critically watched the video well to see whether or not the incident happened at Agogo.

Fortunately, they realised that the incident happened in Agogo. The Policemen and women who watched the video were able to identify some of the guys in the video. This guy was tied; both hands were tied behind him and was put on the ground with the face facing on the ground. 

So his trouser was removed half way and then I overheard those who have held him tell the elderly man that ‘tua no’ in Twi, it means insert it . And the old man also took the stick, whether it is a cane or what type of stick and he started pushing it, pushing it. In fact he pushed it to a certain extent that I couldn’t watch again and I have to stop watching it”.

Chief Superintendent Sadique-Osei has condemned the incidence of people handing out instance justice to fellow citizens.

“Whatever happened in the video is so bad. You don’t have the right to inflict instant justice to the person.”

“Hand him over to the appropriate quarters, the Police. No matter how slow the system is, justice would definitely be done than you taking the law into your own hands and then doing what we have seen in this video,” Chief Superintendent Sadique-Osei added.

He has commended the public for the support leading to the arrest of the suspects.

Doctors at the Agogo Presbyterian Hospital said the victim is in stable condition but in pains.
 
Medical Superintendent, Dr. William Nana Arhin Thompson, said further checks will be carried out to ascertain the extent of damage caused to his internal  organs.
 
“ For now he is stable, except that he has fever so we have given him antibiotics . Tomorrow, he would be sent to the theater and under anesthesia, we would see if part of the bowel, the rectum or this thing has been perforated.

The pain is so much that he would not allow you even examine the anus”.