Police arrest two foreign nationals over death of Senegalese goalkeeper Cheikh Toure in Kumasi

Pinned summary · as of 06:44

Ghana Police Service has detained two men, a Nigerien and a Burkinabe, in connection with the alleged kidnapping and killing of Senegalese goalkeeper Cheikh Toure, whose body turned up at a Kumasi hospital in October 2025. Officers say the pair belong to a larger group that pretended to be football scouts. Two further suspects are being hunted, and the allegations have not been tested in court.

What we know

• Ashanti Regional Police arrested Salifu Walid, aged 32 and from Niger, and Aziz Wadrago Mane, aged 24 and from Burkina Faso. They are held over the alleged kidnapping and murder of Cheikh Toure.
• Officers picked up the two men on 20 September 2026 at a hideout in Banpanase, a community by Mamponteng in Ashanti, after what police described as intelligence-led investigations.
• Police say preliminary findings tie both suspects to a group of four that allegedly presented itself as football scouts and used the internet to draw victims into Ghana with the promise of playing opportunities.
• Toure's body reached Manhyia hospital in Kumasi on 16 October 2025, brought by men who were not identified. Reports say they described him as their brother and blamed an accident. Medical staff declared him dead as he arrived, and the body was later placed at the Ebenezer Mortuary in Tafo.
• According to police, both men admitted taking part when questioned and described what they did to bring Toure to Ghana. Investigators are still looking for two other suspects, Noukoubri Arzouma Sylviain (alias Prince Pierre) and another man known only by the name Barry.
• The two men remain in custody and are due to be prepared for court while detectives keep working the case.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  Opemsuo 104.7 quoted police as saying the lure of Toure formed part of a plan to defraud him, and that Sylviain and Barry played a central part in the group. Other reports do not carry either claim.
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  Opemsuo 104.7 reported that the men who brought Toure to hospital said he had several abdominal injuries, and that police say the two arrested men left his body at the mortuary and fled. Other reports describe the men as unidentified and do not say the arrested pair were among them.
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  The Press Radio reported that Senegal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in October 2025 that early inquiries suggested the goalkeeper may have been caught up in a fraud and extortion ring, and urged Ghana to investigate fully. The same report said investigators had not fully disclosed how the kidnapping happened or how he died.
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  Kumasi Mail and Onua Online said the arrests came from work by the Anti-Armed Robbery Unit and the Police Intelligence Directorate, and that the announcement came in a police statement signed by Superintendent Godwin Ahianyo. Other reports do not mention these details.

Why it matters for Ghana

The case is a warning to young footballers and their families in Ghana and across West Africa who respond to offers from unknown agents or scouts online. It also puts pressure on the police to show that cross-border schemes targeting aspiring players can be traced and stopped. Senegal's government has publicly asked for a thorough investigation, so the outcome will be watched in both countries.