UCC Confirms Death of Missing Level 200 Commerce Student; Police Launch Investigation
The University of Cape Coast has confirmed the death of a Level 200 Bachelor of Commerce student whose body was discovered at Hutchland Beach near Duakor in Cape Coast, prompting a police investigation that has now drawn the attention of the Inspector General of Police.
The deceased, identified as 20-year-old Innocentia Atsufui Avinu, was found washed ashore on Friday, June 12, two days after she was last seen alive. According to her roommate, Miss Avinu had received a phone call at approximately 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, dressed casually and left the private hostel they shared in Amamoma. She never returned.
When she failed to return that night, friends and course mates launched a search the following day but were unable to locate her. Her body was discovered by residents of the Duakor Community on Friday morning and reported to police at around 6:00 a.m.
Initial Findings Show No Visible Injuries
ASP Abdul Abubakar, the UCC District Police Commander, said officers who proceeded to the scene conducted preliminary examinations that revealed no visible signs of physical assault or injury on the body. The same observation was confirmed when the family visited the mortuary of the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital on Saturday to formally identify the remains.
A coroner’s form was expected to be obtained on Monday, June 15, to facilitate a post-mortem examination aimed at establishing the exact cause of death. The results of that examination will be critical in determining the direction of the investigation.
The identification process was aided by the deceased’s roommate, who reported to the police station with a photograph that helped confirm Miss Avinu’s identity. The Dean of Students’ Affairs was subsequently brought into the process to coordinate the university’s administrative response.
IGP Deploys Special Investigators
In a sign of the gravity with which authorities are treating the case, the Inspector General of Police has deployed a special investigative team to Cape Coast to assist in unravelling the circumstances surrounding the student’s death. The involvement of the national police leadership suggests the case has moved beyond routine local investigation.
The Regional Police Command has assured the public that a thorough investigation is underway, while urging restraint in the circulation of unverified information. “Such actions could hinder investigations and cause distress to the bereaved family, students and the University community,” the statement said.
University Community in Mourning
The death of Miss Avinu has cast a pall over the UCC campus, where students have been grappling with the uncertainty of her disappearance and the shock of its outcome. The university’s Directorate of Public Affairs issued a statement acknowledging the incident and pledging cooperation with the police investigation.
For the family and the wider university community, the immediate priority is answers. What prompted Miss Avinu to leave the hostel on Wednesday evening, and what happened in the hours that followed, remain the central questions that investigators will need to address.
The case has also renewed broader concerns about student safety on and around university campuses in Ghana, where large numbers of students live in private hostels and rented accommodation in communities adjacent to university grounds, often without the institutional oversight that on-campus housing provides.
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