Following the murder of US-based Ghanaian Dr Kofi Akamani by his wife Dr Betty Akamani, in Illinois more details have emerge.
According to members of the Ghanaian community in Illinois, the wife of the deceased allegedly shot him six times on Saturday, September 19, 2026.
The new details alleged that the couple were going through very serious divorce proceedings with the main bone of contention in the divorce battle was the custody of their two female children.
Reports indicates that the two were living separately while they finalised their divorce with the children living with Dr Betty Akamani after she refused to let her estranged husband have custody of the children.
According to Dr Betty Akamani receives child support for the two children from the late husband every month.
It has also emerged that the wife had previously reported her husband to the police accusing him of child trafficking, which was later found to be false.
The information gathered also disclosed that the late Dr Akamani met his wife, who is an African American, at the university when she was a student studying psychology in Illinois.
Dr Betty Akamani is a Research Analyst at the Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (INCCRRA), Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Illinois and has now been slapped with multiple charges, including two counts of felony first-degree murder and one count of endangering the life or health of a child.
The new update follows earlier report disclosed that Dr Kofi Akamani, a Ghanaian professor based in the United States, has been shot dead in Illinois.
Reports suggest the 48-year-old was fatally wounded in a shooting reported near Lake Road, between Murphysboro and Carbondale, at about 5 p.m. on Saturday.
According to reports, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said deputies who responded to the scene found Akamani injured.
The professor was subsequently taken to Memorial Hospital of Carbondale, where he was pronounced dead.
Dr Kofi Akamani worked as a lecturer at Southern Illinois University (SIU) Carbondale, where he taught subjects including forest recreation and conservation social science.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has now arrested the late professor’s 35-year-old wife, Betty Akamani, in connection with the incident and was facing multiple charges
However, authorities said the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation.
Meanwhile, no further details have been released by authorities.
The late Dr Akamani’s academic journey began in Ghana at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Development Planning with a specialisation in Urban Planning.
He also 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.
Also, during his doctoral studies, Dr Akamani 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.
@ghnow_ NPP National Organiser Nana B alleges that some government officials are facilitating the smooth movement of drugs out of Ghana. #GHnow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
@ghnow_ NPP National Organiser Nana B has accused the John Mahama administration of turning Ghana into a “drug coast” amid concerns over drug-related issues in the country. #GHnow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
