Police have arrested a man, 39, in Cape Coast over the killing of Innocentia Atsufui Avinu, a University of Cape Coast (UCC) student whose death has unsettled the campus.
The Ghana Police Service named the suspect as Michael Mensah and said he was picked up on Monday, June 15, at about 7:15 p.m. at the Pedu Lorry Station in Cape Coast. Officers from the Inspector General of Police’s Cyber Vetting and Enforcement Team made the arrest after what the service called a sustained, intelligence led operation. Mensah is in custody helping with inquiries and has not been charged.
By the police account, the suspect, who they say describes himself as a teacher and also works as a driver, picked Avinu up from Ayensu Plaza in the UCC hostel area on June 11 at about 6:48 p.m. and drove her to Hutchland Beach, where she was last seen. Investigators have not given a motive or said how she died.
Avinu, 20, was a Level 200 Bachelor of Commerce student. She left her private hostel at Amamoma that evening after telling her roommate she was going to meet someone, and did not return. Her body was found at Hutchland Beach, near Duakor, about 12 hours after she was last seen.
Police have also pushed back on claims spreading online about the state of her body, saying those reports are false. The case has stirred worry among students about safety around the university’s hostels.
The service said its investigation continues and asked the public to stay calm and let officers finish their work.
