The Bono Regional Police Command has commenced investigations into the murder of an 87-year-old retired veterinary officer. 

A police statement said the lifeless body of Alhaji Abdulai Toure, a native of Berekum, was discovered at New Japan, a suburb of Sampa in the Jaman North District, on Monday, June 1, 2026. 

The body, found near a public cemetery, bore multiple gunshot wounds. 

The statement, signed by Chief Inspector Thomas Akeelah, Bono Regional Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Police Service, was made available to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani. 

It said the police received information about the discovery of the body and proceeded to the scene, where the deceased was found lying face down. 

He was dressed in blue-and-white striped lace clothing and wore a wristwatch but was barefoot. 

Preliminary investigations revealed that the deceased had earlier reported to the police that some unidentified individuals had set his house in Sampa and his Opel Kadett vehicle ablaze. 

The statement said the deceased subsequently boarded a passenger bus with registration number AS 9859-14 from the Sampa lorry station to Berekum. 

“After departure, the driver stopped at a nearby vulcaniser to inflate a tyre,” it noted. 

“While the tyre was being inflated, four young men identified only as Abode, Mepawokyew, Alaska and Baala entered the vehicle.” 

The suspects reportedly struggled with the deceased, forcibly removed him from the bus, pushed him into a waiting auto rickshaw, popularly known as “pragya”, and sped off towards the cemetery area on the Kokoa road. 

A thorough search at the scene led to the retrieval of five spent AAA cartridge casings and three spent BBB cartridge casings, suggesting that the deceased was shot. 

The body has since been deposited at the Sampa Government Hospital mortuary for preservation and autopsy. 

Siaka Yahaya, a 45-year-old farmer, has identified the deceased as his stepfather. 

The statement said efforts were underway to identify and apprehend the suspects and appealed to the public to assist the police with relevant information. 

It reaffirmed the police's commitment to ensuring security in the area.