Al Ain's Asamoah Gyan denies murdering Ghanian rapper in alleged human sacrifice

Asmoah Gyan, who plays his club football in the UAE with Al Ain, has denied reports linking him to the alleged ritual sacrifice of his friend, the Ghanaian rapper Castro.

Widespread rumours in his native Ghana had claimed Gyan was directly involved in the disappearance of Castro, real name Theophilus Tagoe, and his girlfriend, Janet Bandu.

The trio were part of a group holidaying at a resort in Ada, Ghana back in July when both Castro and Bandu went missing after going out on jet skis. They both were presumed drowned.

However, with no bodies recovered, the finger of blame soon turned on Ghana national team captain Gyan.

The story took another twist when the striker's elder brother, Baffour Gyan, and six other men assaulted a local journalist who had questioned Asamoah about his involvement in the pairs disappearance at a press conference.

Daniel Kenu, the Regional Editor of Ghana's Daily Graphic newspaper, needed hospital treatment following the attack. Baffour has since been released on bail.

But in an attempt to put an end to the “wild allegations and rumours", Gyan called a press conference on Wednesday to set the record straight and deny any wrongdoing.

“We have been silent while these wild allegations and rumours have been peddled in the media," said a statement from the Gyan family, read out by lawer Kissi Agyabeng.

"We have been silent not because we are concealing anything or that we do not feel the need to fully state what, from our reckoning, had happened in Ada. We have been silent because we did not want to interfere with police investigations.

“In our painful silence, we have been totally dismayed by the fact that the platform was provided for the peddling of these wild and ludicrous allegations and rumours against us. Those to whom the platform was provided offered no evidence whatsoever to back their statements. And indeed, the allegation of spiritual sacrifice can by no stretch of the imagination be propped up.”

The statement continued: “We take the opportunity and state without the slightest doubt in our minds that we are not blamable for the disappearance of Castro and Janet Bandu. We had no hand in that occurrence. We have no moral or legal culpability whatsoever. None of us rode out into the open estuary with Castro and Janet Bandu. Castro rode out there on his own volition and none of us have the slightest idea as to what happened to them.

“We have only been guess working and conjecturing and making what appears to us to be intelligent deductions – in light of the facts available to us, especially the fact that when they rode out on the jet ski Janet Bandu was not wearing a life jacket … We are in unimaginable pain and shock and we will give anything to Castro and Janet back.”

The family also appealed to the media, saying: “We humbly call for a truce between the Gyan brothers on the one hand, and the media on the other hand. We are reaching out a friendly hand to journalists and the media. Please accept it. It is time to let the matter rest.”