A 43-year-old barber, identified as James Opoku and popularly known as Nana Yaw, has been found dead in his locked barbershop at Time Enterprise, New Site, located within the Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipality of Takoradi.
The tragic discovery occurred on Sunday after Opoku’s wife, Christina Mensah, became alarmed when he failed to answer multiple phone calls. Concerned, she sent their son, Shadrach, to check on him and collect pocket money for the day.
Upon arrival, Shadrach found the barbershop locked from the inside. After several unsuccessful attempts to get a response by knocking and calling his father’s name, he managed to enter the containerized shop and found his father’s lifeless body near the entrance.
“There were signs of a struggle,” Shadrach said. “He looked like he had crawled from his mattress towards the door.”
According to Christina Mensah, her husband had been sleeping in the shop at night due to repeated break-ins.
“Thieves have broken into the shop several times, so he decided to stay inside at night,” she explained.
Christina added that her husband had shown no signs of illness and had been in good health the previous day. Their third child had also visited him the previous evening.
“He was healthy and full of life… I don’t know what took his life,” she said.
The body has since been transported to a local mortuary, and the Ghana Police Service has initiated an investigation, with an autopsy expected to help determine the cause of death.
Authorities are urging anyone with relevant information to come forward as investigations continue.