ON GRUESOME MURDER OF GHANAS ARMY CAPTAIN: MAXWELL MAHAMA

Whyte Queen
@WhyteQueen
8 years ago

Ghana Army Captain was stoned, burnt and killed, mistaken for a robber at Denkyira Boase.In an instance of instant justice gone wrong, residents of Boase in the Central Region are reported to have stoned, burnt and killed a captain Maxwell Mahama of the Ghana Armed Forces in a mob action. A lot of unpublished killing and acts of violence have been witnessed around the world but this particularly is common among Africans. They take justice into their hands and find it usual to take a life. This has got to stop as these perpetrators of these evils should be brought to book. Africa is the least developed continent which is partly due to hatred for one another and disunity. Africa can only move forward when we unite and learn to live in peace and tranquility.  Captain Maxwell Mahama is said to be with the 5th Infantry Battalion (5BN) at Burma Camp in Accra but was on detachment duties at Denkyira Boase in the Upper Denkyira West District of the Central Region when the dastardly act happened. Residents having been at the receiving end of varied robbery raids had grown weary and so when Captain Mahama had gone for an early morning jogging in civilian clothes accompanied by his gun, curious women who saw the gun raised the alarm he could be an armed robber. The Assembly Member of the area is said to have then mobilized youth leading the charge to hurl offensive objects at the officer according to mynewsgh.com.Warning!!!: Graphic Video: The Full Video of how Captain Mahama was KilledHaving come to their senses that the man they had just murdered was no robber but indeed a military man, the youth are reported to be fleeing the town in droves to avoid the deadly fate which awaits them when military persons visit the town.Captain Mahama’s body has since been conveyed to a heath facility. He is survived by a wife and two children.Since the atrocious act, well-meaning Ghanaians have expressed outrage on social media demanding that the culprits who conspired to expire this fine officer and family man be apprehend and made to face the full wrath of the state. Meanwhile condolences continue to pour in urging the wife to be strong in this difficult time.Please come to Denkyira Obuasi—Assembly members beg Ghanian President Akufo-AddoThe Upper Denkyira West Assembly has thrown an invitation to President Akufo-Addo to personally pay a visit to the area following the lynching of an Army Captain, Maxwell Mahama.The Presiding Member of the Assembly Gabriel Kwadwo Karikari said at a press conference Friday “we are appealing to Nana [Akufo-Addo] to come down to the place where the incident happened”.Their particular concern however, remains circumstances surrounding the suspension of the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area over comments deemed insensitive after the tragedy.The DCE, who heads security in the area was unaware of the presence of military officers in Denkyria Obuasi in the Central Region and further claimed, the army officer was shielding illegal miners.His suspension has been welcomed by members of the public who are keen to see results in the fight for justice even at the cost of political causalities.Flanked by 18 other Assembly men, the Presiding Member who is second in command in the District said: “we have accepted it [the suspension] in good faith”.The Assembly however, wants the president to personally come and get first hand information about illegal mining in the rural community as claimed by their dismissed leader.Denkyira Obuasi has experienced an Armageddon of its own after soldiers descended on the town with an air of vengeance. Luv FM’s Ohemeng Tawiah has reported, residents have deserted the town like a plague. At the sight of soldiers, residents have fled with no sign of return anytime soon, he reported on the Joy Midday News.“They still think that their lives are in danger” he said and revealed, the only health centre there has closed down Friday. Arrests have beeen made almost daily. Some seven more suspects arrested. Five from Asankragua, one from Techiman and another from Dominase all in Central region.This brings the total number of suspects to 14.Another man suspected to have been part of the mob action, was found dead Thursday morning. Although the army have since left the town the trauma of their presence still discourages any return home. The leaders in the district have been begging for the nation’s forgiveness since the killing of the Army Captain.“We want to send our condolence to the bereaved family, especially the children and the mother, especially the military command. The whole Denkyira we are very sad. We are not happy at all not even for a minute. In every town there are wicked people in there”, he threw a subtle plea against stereotyping.Denkyira Obuasi schools closed down over Capt. Mahama’s murder Following the gruesome murder of Captain Maxwell Adam Mahama, and the subsequent action by the security services, basic schools within Denkyira Obuasi in the Upper West Denkyira District have been closed down.According to Citi News’ Obrempong Yaw Ampofo, students have abandoned the schools, while most residents are reported to have vacated the town with their wards.The Upper West Denkyria District Director of Education , Rose Tenkorang, who made this known, said the situation is worrying since the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) starts on Monday. “As the situation is now, I don’t think any teacher will be willing to come to school. Neither the pupils nor parents are willing to come. The parents have fled with their children so nobody is there so automatically the schools have been closed down. We are hoping that things will calm down for them to return, especially the final year students.” “I still have to liaise with the Assembly to convince residents to return, and send their wards to school for them to prepare for the exams,” she added.Captain Mahama was lynched and burnt on Monday in Diaso after residents in the area mistook him for an armed robber.About six persons including the Assembly man of the area , who is believed to have masterminded the attack, have been arrested in connection with the incident. Police descend on Denkyira-Obuasi to round up killers of Captain Mahama—Assembly member arrested  Four suspects in Captain Mahama’s killing who are being interrogated in Cape Coast. Three days after the gruesome murder of Captain Maxwell Adam Mahama, more security personnel have descended heavily on Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region in search of the alleged perpetrators of the heinous crime.Already, a specialist team, comprising a homicide squad and the crime scene management and action units of Police Operations, has been dispatched by the Police Administration from Accra to Denkyira-Obuasi to conduct further investigations into the case.The specialist team has been tasked to, among other duties, gather further evidence and intelligence regarding the horrific incident. According to a statement signed by the Deputy Director in charge of Public Affairs of the Ghana Police Service, Deputy Superintendent of Police Ms Sheilla Kessie Abayie-Buckman, and issued in Accra yesterday, six suspects had been arrested in connection with the crime.They are William Baah (the Assembly Member for Denkyira-Obuasi), Bismark Donkor, Philip Badu, Kofi Nyame, Anthony Amoah and Kofi Badu. Meanwhile, public schools at Denkyira-Obuasi have closed down, while the town has almost been deserted, following the murder of the military officer.AssuranceBut the Inspector General of Police (IGP) has assured the residents of the town and its surrounding communities of police protection. He said the police would employ all means possible to uncover the circumstances leading to the murder and those behind the crime. He, therefore, entreated the public to volunteer information leading to the arrest of persons involved in the gruesome murder by reporting to the nearest police station or calling the police on 18555 (MTN and Vodafone), 0302–773906, 03******73 or 191 (all networks).The statement said the police were confident of successful investigations into the murder of Captain Mahama and warned all persons who played roles in the murder to surrender themselves to the nearest police station.BackgroundThe nation was stunned by the gruesome murder of Captain Mahama when video clips of the barbaric act went viral last Tuesday. Captain Mahama, who was heading a military detachment near Denkyira-Obuasi, met his untimely death last Monday when some residents of the area accused him of being an armed robber and lynched him. The officer was on operational duties at the Alaska C&G Mining Company at Amenase Forest, near Diaso.He was said to be jogging when some residents accused him of being part of a robbery gang that had stormed Denkyira-Obuasi the previous week.Vice PresidentEven before security personnel are able to make major breakthrough in their investigations, more government officials, individuals and institutions are expressing their condolences to the bereaved family.Google ImagesThe Vice-President, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, was at the residence of the late Captain Mahama at the Burma Camp yesterday to express the profound condolences of the government and the people of Ghana to the bereaved family.He expressed the determination of the government to ensure that the perpetrators of the heinous crime were brought to book. He said when he first heard of the incident, he found it really hard to believe that such a tragic incident had happened, describing it as “dastardly, painful, wicked and evil and I don’t know how anybody, in anyway, can justify anything like this. It is a tragedy not for only his family but the whole of Ghana”.“It is a criminal act and we will pursue the perpetrators with all the might of the state to bring the matter to a logical conclusion and to make sure that justice is done. I know you are going through unimaginable pain. We know the pain the family, the wife, the mother and others are going through now and we know it is very, very heavy.“We want to assure you that we are going to be with you through thick and thin to ensure that he gets a befitting burial and do whatever is necessary for the family, the wife and the children. It is important that we hold one another together. It is not going to be easy,” he added.FamilyThe Family Head, Chief Kasseh, expressed the gratitude of the family to the government and the people of Ghana for what they had done for the family so far in commiserating with it since the unfortunate incident occurred.He said the family would not want any further blood to be shared but took serious exception to the statement made by the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, who made derogatory remarks about the late Captain Mahama.Chief Kasseh, who described the late Mahama as his grandson, said the deceased had been brought up in a peace-loving and disciplined manner and would never be involved in anything untoward.He said during Captain Mahama’s graduation, he was adjudged the best sniper and could have engaged those who attacked him head on but rather he chose to succumb to peace and the rule of law in not inflicting any pain on his attackers.“That DCE has not hurt only the family but also a lot of people,” he said.CDSSpeaking from the perspective of the Military High Command, the Chief of the Defence Staff, Lieutenant-General Obed Boamah Akwa, said contrary to erroneous speculations, Captain Mahama was on official duty.“The High Command knew about it and our ministry was also aware. So I would like to disabuse the minds of the general populace that the soldiers were there undertaking or protecting illegal miners,” he said.He said last Tuesday, he despatched the Chief of the Army Staff, the GOC Southern Command, together with other officers of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), as well as policemen, to go and undertake some investigations on the ground.He said the team had returned with a report which would be carefully studied and implemented.“I would also use this opportunity to thank all the men, women and officers of the GAF for the restraint that they have exhibited in the face of such provocation. A new image of the GAF is being carved,” he added.Lieutenant-General Akwa said he was proud that the military could boast officers and men who “would not take reprisal action as, perhaps, was the case in the past”.“I would want to commend all of them and urge all those who are deployed in operations in that area to live peacefully with their civilian counterparts and allow the law to take its course,” he urged.He announced that he would hold a general durbar with all the ranks of the military at the Burma Camp and later at the Takoradi Base and the other garrisons to reiterate some of the things that he and the Vice-President had said.Interrogation Meanwhile, the Central Regional Police Command yesterday began interrogating the suspects arrested for their alleged involvement in the murder of Captain Mahama.The Central Regional Police Public Affairs Officer, ASP Irene Oppong, told the Daily Graphic yesterday: “We are interrogating and taking statements from the suspects, after which they will be put before court.”She said the police, after screening 50 people initially arrested, found that five of them who were currently in police custody had a case to answer, “hence they were brought down for further investigations”.“We are mindful of the 48-hour limitation, so we are doing everything possible to extract the necessary information and build a strong case,” she said.ASP Oppong said the investigation would further unveil the identities of some of the perpetrators of that barbaric act but who were currently on the run for their arrest and prosecution. She said the police would depend on all authentic evidence to build a water-tight case for prosecution.In a related development, the Central Regional Police Command yesterday deployed 50 policemen to Denkyira-Obuasi to maintain law and order.Denkyira chiefsChiefs in the Denkyira Traditional Area have condemned the murder of Captain Mahama and set aside June 4 as a day of mourning and a day to pacify the gods for the crime against the land and the people.The chiefs and the people of the traditional area will clad themselves in black and white clothes and go to the palace of the paramount chief to pour libation for the gods to expose those behind the crime.They asked the government to keep the people informed about its operations in their communities.More In the NewsA military capo who spoke to Kumasi-based Abusua Fm on grounds of strict anonymity has revealed that the murder of Captain Maxwell Mahama of the 5th Infantry Battalion (5BN) was all planned by his assailants taking into account the chronology of events.“Denkyira-Boase and Diaso will never know peace. We are not going to attack them but God in his own way will atone for the death of this soldier who was killed by the very people he went to protect. You can see that his lynching was well planned”, he disclosed.According to him, the death of a soldier is no news when they die on battlefield but when a military officer is killed in the manner Captain Maxwell Mahama who was killed in his home country at a town he went to protect its folks, it makes the situation very annoying.“We won’t fight them back because if we want to fight they cannot fight us. They have not only killed a soldier but they have killed the spirit of a soldier. They accuse us of beating residents and not beating Chinese nationals engaging in galamsey and in revolt killed one of us like a fowl. Captain Mahama was a good man he could have killed dozens of them with the weapon he had if he chose to when he realized his life was under threat in self-defense”, he stated.He disclosed that Captain Maxwell Mahama is a battle-tested soldier who is trained to kill but chose the country over galamsey indicating that the life of a soldier must be respected.While expressing worry over the manner in which he was killed and humiliated by being stripped naked and burnt, he disclosed that military officers across the country are not happy over the incident.