Ivan Apprey Baidoo, a 20‑year‑old law student at Central University, died in a motorcycle crash on the Accra‑Tema Motorway on 27 August 2026, according to his father Evans Baidoo. Ivan had left home that day to play football with friends in East Legon and had not returned by 6 p.m., prompting his mother to call his phone. A stranger answered, claiming to be an eyewitness and later a police officer, and informed the family that Ivan had been involved in an accident and had died.
Mr Baidoo said the caller refused to deposit Ivan’s phone at a police station and the family subsequently contacted Tema General Hospital. The hospital confirmed that Ivan’s body had been brought to the facility and presented the family with a coroner’s request form bearing his name, though it could not explain how his identity had been established or who had brought him in.
The family was directed to Tema Community 1 Police Station, where they were told the motorcycle rider had survived. The coroner’s form, based on the rider’s account, indicated that a police officer allegedly pursued the motorcycle, pulled a pistol, and struck its rear near the toll booth, causing the crash. Ivan died from injuries sustained; the rider survived with minor injuries. The rider later claimed a good Samaritan transported both men to the hospital.
After the Tema Community 1 Police Station told the family the accident was outside their jurisdiction, they went to Airport Police Station. There, investigators informed them that the rider had been taken into custody and that his statement would be taken after treatment. However, more than 24 hours later, the rider’s statement had still not been taken. The family was told CCTV footage would be made available, but updates were scant.
The investigation shifted when the rider appeared before Kaneshie District Court. He was initially charged with careless driving and negligent harm, granted bail, then re‑arrested and charged with murder. Mr Baidoo raised concerns about the police prosecutor’s claim that the pathologist had not indicated Ivan died as a result of an accident, contradicting the medical findings of severe trauma. He also questioned why the police had not identified the alleged officer or provided the good Samaritan’s contact details.
Frustrated by the handling of the case, Mr Baidoo petitioned the Director‑General of the Criminal Investigations Department for a full‑scale investigation. He maintains that the medical evidence points to an accidental death and that the police’s account is inconsistent with the findings.
