Police in Sissala East in the Upper West Region are interrogating five people in connection with the suspected ritual murder of a 10-year-old boy.

Kobey Ba-gbeseh was murdered by some unknown persons when he accompanied his father and younger brother to the farm.

Police say it happened after one of the assailants took the boy’s cutlass and went into the bush with it.

The deceased in an effort to retrieve the cutlass followed him but never returned until they later found him dead with a severed head, arm and feet.

Dr. Charles Wood, the medical practitioner who examined the boy’s body told Joy News the body was in bad state.

“The body was in a rotten state with maggots and flies all over. The right hand, both feet and then the head were missing. Because most of the parts have been amputated, the likely cause [of death] will be hemorrhagic shock secondary to bleeding,” he said.

The Police say they are holding five men in connection with the incident.

ASP Benjamin Samani, the Sissala East District Police Commander told Joy News that the suspects claim they were among search parties searching for the culprit.

“They appear to be part of the search party. The small boy was able to identify the one that took his brother and murdered him. He mentioned his name as Abdulai. He is the person we haven’t arrested yet but the body parts were found with these people.”

ASP Samani said according to the suspects, they were making efforts to unravel the mystery surrounding the incident and in their efforts they found the body parts.

They were bringing the parts to the chief of the village they were accosted.

The police, he said, have taken their caution statements from the suspects and have begun investigations.

ASP Benjamin Samani said the police and the natives are currently on the manhunt for the alleged murderer.