Grief has enveloped the Volta Region as the Member of Parliament for Ketu North, Eric Edem Agbana, has penned a heart-wrenching tribute to Ms. Innocentia Atsufui Avinu, the 20-year-old University of Cape Coast (UCC) student whose lifeless body was discovered on a beach after days of being missing.
Ms. Avinu, a Level 200 Bachelor of Commerce (Human Resource Management) student, was found dead on the shoreline of Hutchland Beach Resort near the university on June 12, 2026. She had reportedly left her hostel in the Amamoma community around 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, after receiving a phone call and was last seen wearing casual clothing. A subsequent identification at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital morgue confirmed the body was that of the missing student.
A Deeply Personal Loss for the MP
Mr. Agbana disclosed that his connection to the deceased was not merely political but profoundly personal, describing how her tragic death has left him emotionally shattered.
“I knew Innocentia personally because I am a friend of her family. She was a native of Dzodze,” Mr. Agbana said in an emotional statement. “She was a beneficiary of our scholarship scheme. The last time I saw her was in March, when we awarded scholarships to the students.”
The “Ketu North Scholar” scheme, spearheaded by the MP, aims to ensure that financial constraints do not prevent talented youth from accessing higher education. In its second cohort in March, the initiative awarded scholarships to 400 students, with 35 female beneficiaries focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programmes. The MP had previously pledged 50% of his salary to sustain the fund.
“My young star girl is gone, and in such a tragic way,” a distraught Mr. Agbana lamented. “May her soul rest in perfect peace, and may God grant her family, especially her mum and sisters, the strength to bear this painful loss.”
Calls for Justice and Investigation
The Police at the UCC District Command have officially launched an investigation into the circumstances leading to her death. According to a family member, the deceased’s body was found with a head injury and her mobile phone missing. However, an official police statement noted that no visible marks of assault were immediately detected at the scene when the body was discovered at approximately 3:15 a.m. on June 12. The body has since been deposited at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital morgue pending an autopsy scheduled for Monday, June 15.
The tragic incident has prompted the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, to order a full-scale investigation and has directed the management of UCC to cooperate fully with the Ghana Police Service.
Meanwhile, the UCC administration has launched an internal investigation and is providing counseling services to the deceased’s roommate, course mates, and the wider student community.
Background
Innocentia was a daughter of the Volta Region, hailing from the Dzodze community. Her death has sparked widespread anxiety in the university community and calls for heightened security in and around the coastal town of Cape Coast.
