The death of 20-year-old Central University law student, Ivan Apprey Baidoo in a motorcycle crash on the Accra-Tema Motorway has left his family demanding answers, with his father, Evans Baidoo, raising questions about the circumstances surrounding the incident and the subsequent police investigation.
Baidoo has recounted a series of events that began on August 27, 2026, when his son left home to play football with friends at East Legon.
What the family expected to be an ordinary outing, however, ended in tragedy after Ivan failed to return home and was later reported dead following a motorcycle accident.
According to his father, by about 6 p.m., the family had become concerned about Ivan’s whereabouts. His mother called her son’s phone, but instead of Ivan answering, a stranger picked up and informed her that the young man had been involved in an accident and had died.
The circumstances surrounding that first phone call immediately raised questions for the family. Baidoo said the person initially introduced himself as an eyewitness to the incident but later claimed to be a police officer who had allegedly been following the motorcycle on which Ivan was travelling.
The family reportedly asked the caller to deposit Ivan’s phone at the nearest police station so that they could retrieve it. The request, however, was refused.
With uncertainty surrounding the information they had received, the family contacted the Tema General Hospital to verify whether their son had indeed been taken there. Hospital authorities reportedly confirmed that Ivan’s body had been brought to the facility.
The following morning, Baidoo went to the hospital and was confronted with the reality of his son’s death. He said Ivan’s lifeless body was lying on a stretcher, still wearing the Barcelona jersey, khaki trousers and socks he had worn when he left home.
But even at the hospital, the family said questions remained unanswered. According to Baidoo, the facility provided them with a coroner’s request form bearing Ivan’s name but could not explain how the young man’s identity had been established or who had transported him to the hospital.
The family was later directed to the Tema Community 1 Police Station. There, Baidoo said, they were informed that the motorcycle rider involved in the crash had survived.
The account contained in the coroner’s request form, which Baidoo understood to have been based on information provided by the surviving rider, introduced another disturbing element into the case.
According to that account, the motorcycle carrying Ivan and the rider had allegedly been pursued by a police officer who was also riding a motorcycle.
The alleged officer reportedly pulled out a pistol during the pursuit and subsequently struck the rear of the motorcycle near the motorway toll booth area, causing it to crash.
Baidoo said his son died from injuries sustained in the crash while the motorcycle rider survived with what he described as minor injuries.
The father further said the rider later told the family that after the accident, a good Samaritan who came upon the scene transported both men to Tema General Hospital.
The family then began moving between police stations in an effort to establish where the incident occurred and what had actually happened.
After officers at the Tema Community 1 Police Station reportedly told them that the accident did not fall within their jurisdiction, the family and its lawyers followed up at the Airport Police Station.
It was there, Baidoo said, that they met an investigator, Inspector Dansoa, and were informed that the surviving motorcycle rider had been taken into police custody.
The rider, according to the account given to the family, had suffered minor injuries and had been issued police medical forms to obtain treatment.
Investigators reportedly indicated that his statement would be taken after he had received medical attention. He was also expected to accompany investigators to the accident scene and help identify the precise location where the crash occurred.
The rider was also expected to assist the police in identifying possible eyewitnesses to the incident.
However, Baidoo said more than 24 hours after the crash, the rider’s statement had still not been taken.
When the family returned to the police station on Monday, investigators reportedly told them that CCTV footage would be made available as part of efforts to establish exactly what had occurred.
The family’s frustration, however, grew as subsequent attempts by them and their lawyers to obtain updates allegedly produced little progress. Baidoo claimed that investigators repeatedly gave different explanations for the delays, including the fact that the rider had not yet been taken to the accident scene.
Expressing his frustration with the handling of the case, Baidoo said: “I mean, they have been lousy and lackadaisical. We are talking about life here.”
The case subsequently took a dramatic turn when the surviving motorcycle rider was brought before the Kaneshie District Court.
Baidoo said the rider was initially charged with careless driving and negligently causing harm and was granted bail. According to him, the rider was later re-arrested and charged with murder.
About the Author
