Family of late Lance Corporal Robert Ackah, the policeman who was accidentally killed on the Tamale - Kintampo expressway recently, is demanding from government the same treatment and financial support that has been given to the family of the late Major Maxwell Mahama who was lynched by a mob in Denkyira Obuasi.
According to the family, their son also died in the line of duty just as Major Mahama and hence needs to be acknowledged and his wife and child catered for by the state same as has been done for the family of the late soldier.
Senior Police officers accompanied by junior personnel in the Northern regional command on Friday June 9, 2017, donated an amount of GH5, 000 to the wife and child of the late police officer who was shot dead by police patrol team in a case of mistaken identity.
An insurer, Unique insurance company in the regional capital, Tamale, also donated same amount to the widow making GH¢10,000 for the tragedy that befell the family and the police service.
But in the case of Major Mahama, government has set up a Trust Fund with a seed capital of GHC 500,000 to take care of his widow and two children. President Akufo Addo also donated an amount of 50,000 which he described as ‘modest’.
However, the family of late Lance Corporal Robert Ackah is of the view that the wife and child of their dead son have been unfaily treated, urging the government to show interest in their dealings including the funeral just as was done in the case of Major Mahama.
“Both our son (late Lance Corporal Robert Ackah) and Major Mahama were young men who dedicated their lives to serving this country at the peril of their lives. While Major Mahama was lynched, our son was shot dead by his own colleagues (Police Patrol team) so I don’t see any difference in their deaths.
What is good for the family of Major Mahama is good for Lance Corporal Ackah. We saw and read in the media, the sort of attention that government gave to Major Mahama’s family. But it appears we’ve been ignored by the government as not official has said a word to us since the unfortunate death of our son who was the breadwinner,” Tufohene Bentum, an Uncle of the deceased policeman said in an interview.
Background
Lance Corporal Robert Ackah was escorting travelers from Tamale to the southern sector when his colleagues mistook him as an armed robber and fired at him to death.
The bus he was escorting was notified of an ongoing armed robbery attack on the highway and so the police officer was high on alert.
Midway into the journey, Corporal Ackah allegedly alighted from the bus and begun firing in the air and proceeded to mount a chase at the fleeing robbers.
While he was still at the scene of the attack, a police patrol team from the Brong Ahafo region who had also heard of the attack and was rushing to pursue the robbers gunned him down after seeing him at the scene with an Ak47 riffle.
He was, however, identified as a police officer when his Identification Card (ID) was found on him by the killers.
Source: kasapafmonline.com
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Policemen put on buses don't wear uniforms. That's the mode of operation to hide their cover. If u don't know, don't talk. How can they not know that there is such an arrangement? What is 5,000 supposed to do if it was u?
A very unfortunate incident indeed and the widow and kid should be catered for by the police administration and not the government. Again this highlights some of the incompetence of the Ghana police service. Why was there no communication and coordination between the escorting officer and the backup team? An escorting officer pursuing armed robbers and he has decided to mount a road block..for what? A team sent to help an officer on the ground already dealing with the incident gets there and did not even find out about his state(whether wounded,dead or ok) and decides to shoot on sight? And why didnt they shoot to maim but instead shot to kill? The officers on secondment should be sanctioned and the police administration should take up responsibility of catering for the widow and child
Look for facts before commenting the police man wasnt in a uniform so his fellow patrol team taught he was an arm robber thats y they shot him and they cant be arrested like those who lynched the poor soldier so is two different cases and not like the family think of money and not justice but they deserve the best as done for their fellow since they are all young
What has been done to the police men who shot their colleague to death? The family is not bothered about justice for their relative but money. What has been done about Capt Mahama's case is to dissuade people from lynching suspects. That the right thing is to send them to the police station. The policeman's death was accidental, the soldier's death was not. Don't compare the two.
i think the family are right. and all the service personnel shld be treated the same in case of issues like this.As for Ghana only politicians benefits oo it shld be extended to all the security personnel and all workers. THE CHILD AND THE WIDOWS SHLD BE CATER FOR BY THE STATE.
THIS IS FAIR!!! SHE'S ALSO IMPOVERISHED BY THE LOSS OF HER HUSBAND IN ACTIVE SERVICE!!!!