The youth of Kakpayili in Tamale in the Northern Region on Monday, July 1, marched towards the home of a man suspected to have caused the death of two toddlers in the community.

There is suspicion among residents that the children may have been killed for ritual purposes, given that their decomposed bodies were discovered in a vehicle behind the house of Alhaji Abdul Rahman, also known as Mallam Madaha, on the evening of June 30.

Tensions escalated when the police released Alhaji Abdul Rahman on bail within 24 hours of his arrest while keeping an uncle of the deceased children in custody.

In retaliation, enraged residents set fire to one of the houses owned by Alhaji Abdul Rahman, and proceeded towards his second residence with plans to ignite it.

Speaking to JoyNews, the Assembly Member for the area, Hafiz Andani, said, “We slept over there, not that we went there with the police; the police slept over with me. We are here to protect properties because the suspect has two houses, one of them gutted by fire. The cause of the fire is still unknown".

Mr Andani noted that the police came in to exhume the bodies of the two children that went missing, and ever since the youth have not left there.

The Assembly Member said he has advised the youth of the town not to take matters into their own hands.

“The complainant is still under custody; the suspect is left off the hook. The uncle of the deceased children is still under custody."

Police investigate death of 2 children at Kakpayili

Meanwhile, the Ghana Police Service says it has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of two children.

Police in a statement issued on Monday, July 1, noted that the two deceased children had been reported missing on 25th June 2024, adding that their bodies “were found on 30th June 2024 in an abandoned vehicle in one of the compounds within the Kakpayili community.”