Caleb Qwofi Right
The lone survivor of the infamous Deadly Voyage stowaway tale in 1992, Kinsley Ofosu, has been detained for his alleged involvement in a 120,000 euro swindle.
The culprit, who made headlines across the world in 1992 for miraculously surviving a stowaway journey, was apprehended at his hiding place in Prampram after 26 years of fruitless police searches.
Ofosu was apprehended on Saturday, October 14, 2023, following nearly 25 years of tenacious pursuit.
He was then brought before Takoradi Circuit Court B for indictment.
Inspector Robert Yawson, the prosecutor, informed the court, which was presided over by Her Honor Henrietta Charway, that the defendant had been on the police’s wanted list since 1998.
He continued by saying that all attempts to get the person apprehended had failed.
He asked the judge to hold the suspect so the police could finish their inquiries.
It is difficult for the police to find the suspect because, according to the prosecution, he left his home in Tanokrom, a suburb of Takoradi, and moved to an unidentified location.
He argued for a remand because he said that if the suspect were given bail, it might compromise the investigations.
Victor Owusu, the accused’s attorney, pleaded unsuccessfully for his client to be granted bail.
As a result, the accused has been remanded to police custody with a court date of October 30, 2023.
Charles Ohemeng, the complainant, claimed in a telephone interview from Germany with Nhyiraba Paa Kwesi Simpson, the host of Connect FM’s Omanbapa Morning show, that he met the accused there in 1997 after he gained international attention for his incredible escape from the MC Ruby Cargo Ship. He says that the stowaway event had made the accused renowned at the time.
“Everyone was talking about him since he was well-known. He was able to move from Europe to Ghana whenever he chose because they had provided him with legal documentation. In 1997, I met him in Germany and made the decision to transfer some cars and printing presses to Ghana via him. He concurred, and we then began purchasing the vehicles. At the time, I spent approximately 240,000 deutschmark (roughly 120,000 euros) buying Mercedes Benz, a tanker, Nissan, a double-axle car, an Opel, printing machines, and many other items. That put an end to the situation. I shipped them to him in Ghana. I didn’t hear from him again until today, the day of his arrest,” he said.
After surviving the massacre of a group of African stowaways by the crew of the MC Rugby, a cargo ship manned by Ukrainians and flying the Bahamian flag, Kinsley Ofosu gained international attention in 1992.
To load cocoa, the ship was berthed in Takoradi. The stowaways intended to go to Europe in search of a better life. They discovered another stowaway who was on the ship from Cameroon after hiding inside the ship for a few days.
Later, they were discovered by the ship’s crew, who chose to massacre them one by one. Albert Cudjoe, Kinsley Ofosu’s half-brother, and seven other people who were on the ship were all brutally murdered. There was just one survivor, Kinsley Ofosu.
A 1996 movie called “Deadly Voyage” that included movie stars from all over the continent, including Ghana’s seasoned actor David Dontoh, depicted the tragic tale of Ofosu.
Omar Epps played Ofosu in the movie, which Union Pictures produced and distributed to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Home Box Office (HBO).
