US-Based Ghanaian Lecturer’s Wife Grabbed Over His Murder

Betty Akamani, a 35-year-old woman from Murphysboro, Illinois, has been charged with the murder of her husband, Dr. Kofi Akamani, a professor at Southern Illinois University. The couple had been separated for two years and were in the process of a divorce at the time of the incident. Betty Akamani is accused of shooting her husband multiple times while he was sitting in his car in their driveway.

He later died at a hospital in Carbondale. Dr. Akamani, 48, had earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Development Planning from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana. He was originally from Ghana but chose to pursue his education in the United States. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office responded to a shooting call around 5 p.m. on Saturday, September 19.

Dr. Akamani was found with gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale. Betty Akamani has been denied release and is set to appear in court again on October 6 for a preliminary hearing. The sheriff's office stated that investigations are still in the early stages and no further details would be released at this time.

Dr. Akamani began his undergraduate studies at KNUST in Kumasi, Ghana, where he earned a degree in Development Planning with a focus on Urban Planning. Upon realizing that the future of planning lay in sustainable development, he decided to further his education in the United States. SIU expressed their condolences to Dr. Akamani's family, friends, colleagues, and students.