A trader from whom Captain Maxwell Mahama bought snails, was the one who informed the assemblyman of Denkyira Obuasi that the young military officer was an armed robber, after she had seen the sidearm of the now deceased officer as he took money from his pocket to pay for the snails, police have told journalists at a joint press conference with the Ghana Armed Forces at the Police Headquarters in Accra on Friday, 2 June.
According to the police, without verifying the identity of Captain Mahama, the assemblyman and armed townsfolk accosted the military officers, gave him chase, shot at him, and eventually pounced on him using crude weapons such as cement blocks, clubs, among others, until he died around 10am on Monday, two hours after he started a 20km jog.
Meanwhile, the IGP has said the police service has started putting in place measures to “eradicate” mob action following the lynching of Captain Mahama.
Mr David Asante-Apeatu said: “The police service which I head, has already started putting measures in place to eradicate these acts of impunity.
“These measures include stern enforcement of the law, liaising with other relevant institutions to embark on massive public education, strengthening criminal investigations, and taking community policing to a higher level.”
According to him, all these are included in the major transformation agenda being pursued by the police to professionalise the service.
He said: “Persons who violate the laws of the land in a manner akin to what has happened in the late Captain’s case would be dealt with accordingly,” adding: “The police is prepared to collaborate with stakeholders to cure this canker of instant justice” and ensure that it is “permanently stamped out of the society. We shall, therefore stop at nothing to deal with the perpetrators of this phenomenon.”
The IGP also described the lynching as “heinous, abhorrent and barbaric as it is reprehensible”.
“To say the least, the police administration takes a very serious view to this. Furthermore, the condemnation of every Tom, Dick and Harry of the act is ample attestation of the fact that the perpetrators have offended the collective conscience of the Ghanaian people,” he said.
The IGP also urged Ghanaians to stop the blame game and rather join the police in fighting instant justice.
“Many have attributed the recurrence of mob action in the nation to a weak criminal justice system, under-resourced police service, growing crime rate, poor police-civilian relations as well as impatience on the part of people to wait for the law to take its course. It is regrettable that over the years, innocent victims have lost their lives as a result of mob action and instant justice. All of us are potential victims to this unfortunate growing menace and I will advise against the blame game. Let’s face it, this trend cannot and must not be allowed to persist in our current democratic dispensation. I will plead with the media in the education of the general public to put a stop to the practice while the police does its bit to stem the tide,” he urged.
Source: classfmonline.com
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Oh AMA GHANA paa nie. Asemoooh. Maxwell, may your soul rest in perfect peace.
stop been hypocritic, what happened to the stadium disaster, yaanaa death, room frimpong the formal md for gcb after the redinumination exercise,the formal asante regional gja chairman.
Massa kwesi, i think the import of our collective wailing is to condemn the wickedness that we perpetrate against ourselves, especially when one offends. you comment suggests to me that you can equally be evil in the heart. how can you propose this? we want to eschew this wickedness. two wrongs do not make a right! there are still ways by which we can punish our brothers and sisters who did this to the innocent captain and at the same time correct them. killing them will leave even greater pain in the hearts of many. as of now 17 persons are reportedly captured. if they kill 17 because of the death of one, it will amount to disproportionate reaction. lets punish them but not so brutally. howbeit, the time has come for a total stop to this primitive style of vengeance. when we suspect people we must give them the benefit of the doubt also.if the snail seller had not been overly suspicious and had even query the man friendly why he was having the gun we would not have been here. we must learn to be patient to offenders. i am particularly sad bcos my junior brother nearly suffered the same fate some few years back at taifa burkina. as innocent as he looked and was, this skinny brother of mine was brutally beaten bcos he had jogged around a particular premises. It took only the almighty to save him, why must we do so much evil to ourselves?
Let us eschew the emotions and prosecute the case well to avoid mistakes. Whom did we prosecute after the stadium disaster? Atta Mills was killed but a new government has not said anything about it. Who was blamed for the circle dosastet? Human beings died. Now the family wants a memorial. Kotoka was found at then then Accra international airport. The street where Manama died should be ok. High emotions would not take us anywhere good.
Look for the killers of Prof Atta Mills too.... Koku Anyidoho is one of them.....
all people who lynch when caught should be handed to the military to be by the new recruit as targets at their range.
That community need a strong church and Mosque. The Pastors and Imams in that Community has fail God and Country.
THE SNAIL SELLER MUST BE ARRESTED AND PROSECUTED. RAISING FALSE ALARM IS CRIMINAL AND MUST BE ARRESTED. THE LADIES AT THE SCENE MUST BE ARRESTED ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO SET FIRE ON THE DECEASED AND THE ONE TAKING PICTURES. WHAT SORT OF ***barred word*** IS THIS???? VERY VERY CRUELLL PEOPLE, VERY UNFORGIVEN, BARBAR1C PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO FEAR OF GOD IN THEM. GOD WILL PUNISH THEM AND THEIR LAND!!!
Oh Jesus.hmmm