Togo: An ex-Gendarme from Burkina Faso and his accomplice arrested for murder

A 36-year-old former Burkinabe gendarme, who was in Lomé, has become the central figure in a murder case involving a young girl. His accomplice, a 22-year-old Togolese student residing in Lomé, was also arrested. The two individuals, apprehended following a thorough investigation, confessed to the crime.

The community is shocked by the murder of a young girl in Tsikplonou Kondji. The victim was stabbed after being assaulted and beaten by a retired Burkinabe gendarme, Alain Patrick Wossonato, and his young Togolese accomplice, named Merveil.

According to the national police, «The victims, working in the nightlife industry, were approached around 3 a.m. in the Avédji Limousine neighborhood by 2 men in a Burkinabe-registered car. After an apparent agreement, the two young women agreed to get into the vehicle. However, instead of heading to the agreed-upon location, the attackers locked the doors and drove towards Adétikopé, ignoring the girls’ protests. In a secluded alley in Tsikplonou Kondji, they violently attacked the two young women, demanding their mobile phones».

One of the girls, who immediately handed over her phone, was spared. Unfortunately, her friend, refusing to submit, was assaulted in the face and then stabbed. The attackers subsequently ejected the victims from the car.

The police quickly arrived at the scene, discovering the victim in agony and the attackers’ car stuck and abandoned.

Unfortunately, the victim succumbed to her injuries moments later at a local hospital.

Exploiting the survivor’s testimony and evidence at the crime scene led to the formal identification of Alain Patrick Wossonato, and with the collaboration of the Beninese police, both murderers were apprehended.

Alain Patrick Wossonato was arrested while lounging in a hotel in Cotonou on December 22. The Togolese student was captured in a ghetto during the night of December 28-29, 2023.

Confessions of the Murderers

When questioned about the motive for the crime, the suspects explained that their goal was to steal phones and other valuables to finance their drug consumption.

Both individuals will be brought before the Public Prosecutor at the High Court of Lomé to answer for their crime.

Chantal TAWELESSI