A Lecturer at the Law Faculty of the University of Ghana, Dr Opoku Adusei has opposed the hanging or shooting to death of the murders of the late Capt. Maxwell Adam Mahama, as penalty for lynching soldier.
Ghana was thrown into a state of utter shock when news went round of the guesome killing of the Junior Military Officer by a mob in Denkyira Obuase, in the Upper Denkyira West District on Monday.
Captain Maxwell Mahama, an Officer with the 5th Batallion of Infantry at Burma Camp, Accra was on duty as a Commander of a Military Detachment at Diaso, but was lynched in Obuase by the inhabitants on suspicion he was an armed robber while he was on a 20 kilometer walk.
Two women who reportedly saw a pistol on him after he had bought snails from one of them, alarmed by what they had seen called the assemblyman for the area on phone who also organized the youth of the town to lynch him.
Outraged by the destardly act, a section of the public have called for the death penalty to be meted out against the perpetrators for this heinous crime.
At a durbar organized by the Military High Command at Burma Camp last week, some angry soldiers quoted the Biblical saying “he who draws the sword will die by the sword”, calling for the perpetrators to be killed in similar manner as their colleague.
But contributing to a discussion on the matter on Joy FM’s News File Show Saturday, Dr Opoku Adusei said the culprits being sentenced to death without being killed must be enough.
“There’s a place in Nsawam Prison, the condition you live in there, if you survive ten years and your eyesight will still be there then you are lucky. For this type of crime I don’t think any government will come in the future and grant you a pardon and maybe remit your death sentence into life imprisonment for you to come to the open area of the prison, because this death has caused national outrage. The fact that we still have death penalty on our statutes book, that should suffice for now instead of they being hanged or shot to death.”
As of December 31 2015, there were 137 people, including three women, on the death row in Ghana, seven of whom are foreign nationals.
Since the death penalty clause was included in Ghana’s 1992 constitution, the courts continue to sentence people to death, although no executions have been carried out since 1993.
Since then no president has signed any death warrant, instead, they have commuted the punishments to life sentences of life imprisonment.
Source: kasapa
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |
I SUPPORT THE LECTURER 100PERCWNT..NO AMOUNT OF YEARS WILL BE ENOUGH FOR THEM..IF NOT FOR THE SAKE OF CHRIST,I WILL SAY ,A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH,KILL THEM ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL...IT WONT BRING Captain back but it will serve as a deterrent to others.
This guy was not on Duty...He was jogging...kindly correct yourself.. This is Human error...It has Happened..Now killing the Suspects will not Help the Nation.. Let use Human Rights Dept
I am so sad about this incident and uncontrollably 3days ago at home. But Captain Mahama also contributed to his death by raising his risk levels. Which commander on assignment moves alone in the operation zone? I am sure he went against his own professional ethics and operational guidelines. Youthfulness got the better part of him but as a soldier every duty u are deployed must be considered dangerous either home or abroad becos harm or death knows no boundaries. Captain Mahama u 've caused us so much grief and pain. However,we expect those who did this to you and Ghana suffer the most severest consequences anyone can imagine or think of. May your soul rest in peace!