A 20-year-old Central University law student, Ivan Apprey Baidoo, has died in a motorcycle crash on the Accra-Tema Motorway, with his family raising questions about the circumstances surrounding his death and the subsequent police investigation.
Ivan’s father, Evans Baidoo, said his son left home on August 27, 2026, to play football with friends at East Legon.
Speaking to Umaru Sanda Amadu on Citi Eyewitness News, Mr Baidoo said by 6 p.m., Ivan had not returned home, prompting his mother to call his phone.
He said the call was answered by a stranger who informed the family that Ivan had been involved in an accident and had died.
According to Mr Baidoo, the caller initially identified himself as an eyewitness but later claimed to be a police officer who had allegedly been following the motorcycle on which Ivan was travelling.
The family asked the caller to deposit Ivan’s phone at the nearest police station so they could retrieve it, but he allegedly refused.
The family then contacted the Tema General Hospital to verify the information and was informed that Ivan’s body had been brought to the facility.
Mr Baidoo said he went to the hospital the following morning and found his son’s lifeless body on a stretcher, still wearing the Barcelona jersey, khaki trousers and socks he had worn when he left home.
He said the hospital handed the family a coroner’s request form bearing Ivan’s name but could not explain how his identity had been established or who had brought him to the facility.
The family was subsequently directed to the Tema Community 1 Police Station, where they were informed that the motorcycle rider had survived the crash.
Mr Baidoo said information contained in the coroner’s request form, which he understood was based on the rider’s account, suggested that the motorcycle had allegedly been pursued by a police officer riding another motorcycle.
According to that account, the alleged police officer pulled out a pistol during the pursuit and later struck the rear of the motorcycle near the motorway toll booth, causing it to crash.
Ivan reportedly died from injuries sustained in the crash, while the rider survived with minor injuries.
Mr Baidoo said the rider later told the family that a good Samaritan who came upon the scene transported both men to the Tema General Hospital.
The family subsequently followed up at the Airport Police Station after being informed by officers at the Tema Community 1 Police Station that the accident did not occur within their jurisdiction.
Mr Baidoo said family members and their lawyers met an investigator, Inspector Dansoa, at the Airport Police Station and were informed that the motorcycle rider had been taken into custody.
According to him, the rider had sustained minor injuries and had been given police medical forms to seek treatment.
Investigators reportedly told the family that the rider’s statement would be taken after his treatment and that he would then be taken to the accident scene to assist police in identifying the exact location of the crash.
He was also expected to help investigators identify possible eyewitnesses.
However, Mr Baidoo said the rider’s statement had still not been taken more than 24 hours after the accident.
He said when the family returned to the police station on Monday, investigators indicated that CCTV footage would be made available to help establish what had happened.
Mr Baidoo, however, said subsequent attempts by the family and its lawyers to obtain updates on the case yielded little progress.
He alleged that the investigator gave different explanations for the delays, including the fact that the rider had not yet been taken to the accident scene.
“I mean, they have been lousy and lackadaisical. We are talking about life here,” he said.
The case later took a new turn when the motorcycle rider was brought before the Kaneshie District Court.
Mr Baidoo said the rider was initially charged with careless driving and negligently causing harm and was granted bail.
He said the rider was later re-arrested and charged with murder.
The development raised further concerns for the family, particularly over the circumstances of Ivan’s death and the evidence being relied upon by investigators.
Mr Baidoo also questioned information presented by the police concerning his son’s post-mortem examination.
According to him, the police prosecutor told the court that the pathologist who conducted the post-mortem had not stated that Ivan died as a result of an accident.
He said the claim surprised the family, especially given the injuries recorded in the medical findings.
“Every indication shows that my son did not die of what they were trying to attribute. He died out of accident. And if you look at the pathologist’s report and the coroner request form and what came out, everything shows that it could have been a severe fall,” he said.
Mr Baidoo said the medical report indicated that Ivan suffered broken ribs, head injuries and internal bleeding.
He said police relied on the alleged absence of a finding linking the death to an accident in seeking to keep the motorcycle rider in custody for another two weeks.
The judge, however, declined the request, according to Mr Baidoo.
The grieving father said the medical findings available to the family point to severe trauma and questioned why investigators had not identified the police officer allegedly involved in the pursuit.
He also raised concerns about Ivan’s missing phone and the identity of the person who contacted the family on the night of the incident.
According to Mr Baidoo, the motorcycle rider also had the contact details of the good Samaritan who allegedly transported the two men to hospital, but the police declined to provide the number to the family’s lawyers.
The family has consequently petitioned the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for a full-scale investigation into the circumstances surrounding Ivan’s death.
Mr Baidoo wants the investigators to establish exactly what happened, identify anyone responsible for his son’s death and ensure that the investigation is conducted transparently.
