It has been a year now since the late Major Maxwell Adam Mahama [May his soul rest in peace] was murdered in a gruesome manner at Denkyira Obuasi in the Upper Denkyira District of the Central Region.
He was detailed to check illegal mining (galamsey) activities in the area and was murdered on May 29, 2017.
The mob mistakenly killed him with an excuse that they suspect he was an armed robber.
That was wrong because no human being has the right to take the life of another, so assuming without admitting, if he were to be an armed robber, the mob had no right to take his life. The law courts are there to ensure justice.
The nation went dumb. Clouds changed. Tempers went high, especially from the military command. The town Denkyira Obuasi became synonymous with ‘evil’ and no one wanted to be associated with.
There were several and as usual, way of addressing issues spontaneously on what should be done to the people of Denkyira Obuasi.
People suggested the military high command should be allowed enter the town and slaughter any soul they would set their eyes on, but most people spoke against such suggestions because two wrongs will never make a right.
The town was deserted. It became a ghost town. Women, children and the elderly fled. Schools and churches were closed. No economic activities went on. That was the situation after the gruesome murder of Late Captain Mahama.
Before I continue, let me take this opportunity to narrate how the late Major Maxwell A. Mahama was murdered gruesomely.
This account was given by the then Director General at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police, DCOP Bright Oduro, on Friday, June 2, 2017.
He was then a Captain but was promoted to the rank of a Major after he was murdered.
“Address by the Director-General Criminal Investigation Department, DCOP Bright Oduro on preliminary investigations into the death of Captain Maxwell Mahama
• Captain Maxwell Mahama, now deceased was the Commander of a Military Detachment stationed at Diaso in the Upper Denkyira District of the Central Region to check Galamsey activities. The Detachment is based at the outskirts of Diaso.
• On Monday, May 29, 2017, at about 8:00 am, the deceased left the Detachment Base for a 20km walk/jogging. He was in civilian clothing but carried his sidearm. He jogged on the main asphalted Diaso-Dominase-Ayanfuri motor road. He came through Agona Port Police Barrier, Jamseso Nkwanta and Dankwakrom villages heading towards Dominase.
• It has been established that at about 8:55 am, the deceased in a WhatsApp chat with a friend stated that, he was embarking on a 20km walk and that he started at 08:00 am so he would get in touch later. It is estimated that between this time and 9:25 am he had walked about 10km to a place at the outskirts of Denkyira-Obuasi village where a number of women were selling food items by the road. The deceased stopped to interact with the women and even bought some snails which he left with the women to pick up on his return from the walk.
• While the deceased was taking up money from his pocket to pay for the snail, the woman from whom the deceased bought the snail and a few others saw the deceased’s sidearm tucked to his waist. Soon after he left the women, one of them (name withheld) telephoned the Assemblyman of Denkyira-Obuasi, William Baah to report what they had seen.
• Without verifying the information, the Assemblyman mobilized the townsfolk to prepare to attack an armed robber who had been sighted by the women who sell at the outskirt of the town. The Assemblyman called a motor rider who is popularly known in the town as “Komoko†and together with one other allied Kwasi Buah, a vulcanizer proceeded to confront the deceased.
• The Assemblyman met the deceased near the Denkyira-Obuasi cemetery, which is about one-and-half kilometres away from the foodstuff sellers and about the same distance from the place where the body of the deceased was found.
• The Assemblyman and his two-man team spotted the deceased with a sidearm, they accosted him without giving him the opportunity to identify himself.
• By this time message had spread that an armed robber had been sighted and so other people had come around wielding all forms of implements and started attacking the deceased.
• While the deceased was being attacked, he made efforts to explain his identity, while at the same time attempting to flee from his attackers.
• Police Investigations have established the following:
The deceased jumped unto different motorbikes in an attempt to escape from the attack but to no avail
He also attempted to escape by jumping unto a timber truck (details withheld) by entering through the passenger side but the attackers fired and shattered the windscreen causing him to fall off.
There was sporadic shooting from the attackers.
The attackers used implements including clubs, cement blocks and machetes.
He was finally killed at about 10:00 am
These findings indicate that the deceased left his base at about 8 am of Monday May 29, 2017 and was killed at about 10 am of the same day.
Police actions taken so far include the arrest of 16 suspects, 7 out of whom have been remanded by the court to police custody and the rest to be presented in Court on Monday 5th June 2017 together with any suspects that may be arrested in the course of the weekend.
The seven who have been remanded are:
William Baah 2. Bismark Donkor 3. Philip Badu 4. Kofi Nyame 5. Anthony Amoah 6. Kofi Badu 7. Yaw Amor
The other arrested persons are stated below. Some were attempting to escape arrest and were intercepted, while others were arrested from other places across the country, including as far as Sunyani.
Dolly Kormla 2. Domeh Francis 3. Sonu Mwaunyo 4. Sonu Emmanuel 5. Ernest Ally 6. Kojo Mfum 7. Kwasi Buah 8. Issah Manu 9. Prince Amponsah
We have collected a number of evidence which has either been processed or are being processed according to due process.
In conclusion, our investigations are focused on identifying all persons whose actions caused the death of the deceased. To find out what specific actions were taken by each individual and how the actions are linked to the killing as well as the intent of the actionsâ€.
Perfect, excellence, vivid and eloquent accounts of what transpired.
Let clap for the Ghana Police Service because they did what they know best. Writing big grammar and doing little.
A year down the lane, what has been done to curtail mob injustice in the country and the African continent? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Because the law enforcers continue to do what has brought the mob injustice.
Day in and day out, people are being killed by mob yet the authorities seem to be doing nothing about it.
The law enforcers [police] and the government have not sat down to think of why people are taken the laws into their own hands to spell doom on suspects.
The nation held a lavished and sober funeral of the late Major and that was all. The nation consoled with the family and wife and children. But the root cause of mob injustice has been abandoned.
Laws experts are of the view that, people indulge in mob justice when they feel the justice systems have failed.
This is exactly what is happening in the country. Justice in Ghana is now being sold.
The justice system has failed because the citizens believe they are not being treated fairly when it comes to justice delivery.
They feel the security services, especially the police, who have been mandated by the laws of this country to protect lives and property have failed them, hence their decision to take the laws into their own hands.
They do not see the need to send a suspect to the police station for the law to take its course when the police do not even have the requisite skills to gather evidence to prosecute offenders.
Judges have always faulted police prosecutors over shoddy investigations which always leave suspects off the hook.
Most police prosecutors and investigators cannot write a simple correct grammar, not to talk of articulating their findings in court in the presence of a learned judge.
The Ghana Police Service must be up and doing because the citizens have lost confidence in them which is an indictment on the Ghana Police Service.
Latest opinion from Prime News Ghana
Â