Ghanaian Professor Kofi Akamani Shot Dead in US; Wife Arrested
The 48-year-old Southern Illinois University professor was fatally shot in Illinois, with his wife arrested as police investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.
- Kofi Akamani shot dead
- Wife arrested in Illinois
- Police investigate shooting
A Ghanaian academic based in the United States, Dr Kofi Akamani, has been shot dead in Illinois, where he worked as a lecturer at Southern Illinois University (SIU) Carbondale.
The 48-year-old professor was fatally wounded in a shooting near Lake Road, between Murphysboro and Carbondale, at about 5 p.m. on Saturday.
According to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, deputies who responded to the scene found Dr Akamani injured and transported him to Memorial Hospital of Carbondale, where he was pronounced dead.
Dr Akamani was a professor in SIU Carbondale’s Department of Forestry, where he taught courses including forest recreation and conservation social science.
His death has triggered an investigation by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities said his 35-year-old wife, Betty Akamani, had been arrested in connection with the incident and was facing multiple charges.
The sheriff’s office said the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation and cautioned that the case was still in its early stages.
The Jackson County Ambulance Service, Jackson County Coroner’s Office and Jackson County State’s Attorney’s Office assisted with the investigation. No further details have been released.
Academic Background
Dr Akamani began his academic journey in Ghana at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Development Planning, specialising in Urban Planning.
He later obtained an MPhil from the University of Oslo’s Centre for Development and the Environment in 2006 before earning a PhD in Natural Resources from the University of Idaho.
During his doctoral studies, he returned to Ghana for six months to research collaborative forest management and its impact on the social and ecological resilience of two forest-dependent communities in the Ashanti Region.
