Family demands fresh probe into Ghanaian student’s mysterious death in Latvia

The relatives of Nana Agyei Ahyia, a 23-year-old Ghanaian student who died under unclear circumstances in Latvia, have formally appealed to Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to intervene and push for a renewed investigation.

In a petition dated July 20, 2025, and signed by Sarah Nyenejah Nimely on behalf of the Nimely and William Oduro Ahyia families in Ghana and the UAE, the family expressed strong disappointment in what they described as a hasty and incomplete inquiry by Latvian authorities.

They argued that the police prematurely ruled the death a suicide without providing convincing evidence.

According to them, requests for forensic documents, CCTV recordings, and photographic evidence from the supposed scene were all turned down.

The family also highlighted contradictions in the official narrative. A mortuary report, they said, noted that Nana Agyei’s body had only a forehead scratch and no broken bones, despite claims that he had plunged from the sixth floor of a building.

Adding to their concerns, the student allegedly sent a voice note days before his death claiming he had been poisoned by two Latvian acquaintances after sharing a drink with them.

Medical tests later confirmed the presence of an unidentified poisonous substance, yet the suspects were reportedly freed without thorough questioning.

Furthermore, investigators refused to grant access to his mobile phone and laptop, devices the family believe could provide vital leads given his practice of documenting his personal activities.

“We are dissatisfied with the superficial nature of the investigation. What we seek is an independent, transparent, and professional probe to establish the actual cause of his death,” the family wrote.