Ghana Police Launch Probe Into ‘Suspicious’ Death of Senegalese Footballer Cheikh Toure

The Ghana Police Service has launched an investigation into the “suspicious” death of Cheikh Toure, a 20-year-old Senegalese footballer, whose body was taken to a hospital in Kumasi last week under unclear circumstances.

According to a statement issued on Monday, police said Toure was brought to the hospital by a man identified as Issah, who claimed to be the victim’s brother. Issah reportedly told medical staff that Toure had been involved in an accident and sustained severe abdominal injuries.

However, hospital records later confirmed that Toure was already dead on arrival, prompting the police to open a full investigation into the case.

The announcement came shortly after the Senegalese government alleged that the young footballer had fallen victim to a scam and extortion network posing as football recruiters. Authorities in Dakar said Toure was lured abroad under false pretenses of securing a football trial in Morocco, only to be kidnapped and killed by his captors.

Toure was a player at the Esprit Foot Academy in Yeumbeul, near Dakar, before travelling to Ghana in pursuit of his football dreams.

In a statement, Senegal’s Ministry of Youth and Sports urged clubs, academies, coaches, and parents to “exercise extreme caution when presented with unverified offers of trials or transfers abroad,” warning of the growing trend of fake recruitment syndicates targeting young athletes.

Meanwhile, Ghanaian police said efforts are ongoing to uncover the exact circumstances surrounding Toure’s death. The Senegalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dispatched two representatives from its embassy in Accra to assist with the investigation and coordinate the repatriation of the footballer’s body.

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