A murder trial at the Accra High Court was briefly disrupted after a jury requested that an accused person remove her nose mask while in the dock.
The jury said Safina Adizatu Mohammed could see the faces of the other jury members, but they could not see her face because of the nose mask.
Nana Ama Adinkrah, a Senior State Attorney, indicated that the jury’s concerns were reasonable when the matter was raised during proceedings on Monday.
Safina’s counsel, however, explained that she was wearing the nose mask because she was unwell.
The trial judge subsequently directed Safina to remove the nose mask whenever she entered the dock and put it on again afterwards.
Safina is standing trial for the alleged murder of her boyfriend, Frank Kofi Osei, a 37-year-old Ghanaian resident in Canada.
She has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
At Monday’s sitting, lawyers for the prosecution and the accused persons delivered their opening addresses.
The Senior State Attorney told the court that the prosecution would call nine witnesses, including Safina’s former lover and expert witnesses, to support its case.
She said the prosecution would seek to prove the five elements of murder, namely that Frank Kofi Osei died, that his death was caused by unlawful harm, that the unlawful harm was caused by Safina, and that the act was intentional.
“The prosecution’s duty was to prove their case beyond reasonable doubt,” Nana Ama Adinkrah said.
She told the jury that Osei was a Ghanaian resident in Canada, while Safina was a first-year Biological Science student at the University of Ghana, Legon, at the time of the incident.
The prosecution said the two were in an amorous relationship before Osei’s death.
According to the State, on July 26, 2022, at about 0500 hours, police at Lakeside Estate, Ashaley Botwe, received a call from Safina, who reported that she and Osei had a misunderstanding while at her apartment at Ashaley Botwe, School Junction.
The prosecution said a struggle ensued during the misunderstanding and Osei died.
A police patrol team was subsequently dispatched to the scene, where officers found an unregistered white Toyota Tundra pickup parked at the entrance of the apartment building.
Investigations later established that the vehicle belonged to the deceased.
The prosecution said the naked body of Osei was found on the ground near the driver’s door of the pickup in a prone position, with multiple stab wounds on his upper torso.
The State further told the court that although Safina’s apartment had been cleaned, police found blood stains on the walls and traces of blood on the floor, suggesting that the deceased had been dragged from the apartment.
The prosecution said Safina was not at the apartment when the police arrived and was later traced to Obinim Junction, Ashaley Botwe, where she was arrested.
The court heard that during interrogation, Safina initially stated that on July 25, 2022, at about 0100 hours, she stabbed Osei during a misunderstanding in her apartment.
The prosecution said she later changed her account, stating that she had left Osei in the apartment and returned to find him dead.
It said police investigations led to the recovery of the knife allegedly used in the stabbing from Safina’s apartment.
The prosecution further alleged that after the incident, Safina contacted her other boyfriend, Michael Fiifi Ampofo Arku, in Kumasi, who travelled to Accra the following day.
It said Arku assisted Safina in moving Osei’s body from the apartment on the top floor of the building to the pickup parked at the entrance.
The prosecution said Safina gave Arku a bag containing items belonging to Osei and other materials, which she wanted disposed of.
It said Arku kept the bag and returned to Kumasi.
The State told the court that the bag contained blood-stained items, including personal effects belonging to Osei and Safina.
The prosecution listed the items as five large chains also known as bondage chains commonly used for “kinky sex”, four cello tapes, a black ring, necklace, four padlocks, five keys, two boxer shorts, one ladies leggings, three ladies’ tops/dresses, a pair of blue jeans trousers, a blue T-shirt, and black and red sneaker footwear.
The prosecution said Arku was later arrested by the police and during interrogation provided an alibi, indicating that he was not present when Osei was killed.
The State said Arku led police to retrieve the bag and investigations into his alibi showed that he was not in Accra at the time of the incident.
The court heard that police retrieved the knife allegedly used in the stabbing, large chains and a blood-stained dress belonging to Safina from the crime scene.
An autopsy conducted at the Police Hospital stated the cause of Osei’s death as haemorrhagic shock, severe neck injury and stabbing.
Defence counsel urged the jury to return a verdict of not guilty at the end of the trial, saying the evidence would establish Safina’s innocence.
The case has been adjourned to October 19, 2026.
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