Ashanti Regional Police Command orders arrest of police officer for allegedly killing man

There was an uneasy calm at Nana Foduor in Krofrom, a suburb of Kumasi, last Thursday night, following police brutality that resulted in the death of Osei Tawiah, also known as Richmond Osei, a young man from the area.

More than 600 young men massed up to burn tyres and smash bottles on some of the streets of the suburb.

Some of the angry youth wielding machetes and other offensive weapons threatened to kill any police officer who would come their way, to avenge  the death of Osei.

Meanwhile the Ashanti Regional Police Command has ordered the arrest and detention of the police personnel who allegedly  assaulted the young man.

Explaining the circumstances leading to the brutality to the Daily Graphic, an eyewitness said around 10 p.m. last Thursday, Osei, 27, who also limped as a result of a childhood sickness, left his bag behind a house opposite his residence and went to the public toilet.

She said not quite long after that she saw a pickup full of police officers who rushed to the area ostensibly looking for someone. When she made enquiries about the presence of the police in the area, she was told that they had come there looking for two robbers on a motorbike.

She said surprisingly, about 15 minutes after the police had moved towards the public toilet, she heard shouts of “they are killing me” from Osei whom she later realised had been handcuffed by the police.

The witness alleged that the police team beat the young man with the butt of their guns, their boots and tasers.

According to the eye witness, the police handcuffed Osei just in front of the family and virtually threw him into their vehicle.

In the process, Osei was said to have  hit his head against  the bucket of the pickup. 

Auntie

An aunt of the deceased, who gave her name as Mama Thick, who corroborated the narration of the eyewitness, expressed shock at the insensitivity of the police officers.

She said the police beat the helpless young man even when there was every indication that he had passed out, adding “my plea that my son was dying was met with claims by the police that he was just faking death.”

She said after the police had taken her son away, she started going round police stations to find out where he had been sent to only to be told that the body of her son had been sent to the Manhyia Hospital.

Mama Thick said she went to the Manhyia Hospital only to find the lifeless body of her son.

Police

Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Mr Yusif Mohamed Tanko, said the patrol team claimed that they were on their usual rounds around Nana Foduor when some young men took to their heels upon seeing them.

He said they rushed to the area only to hear some of them shouting ‘thief’ and moving towards a direction and when they followed up, they arrested a very weak young man and sent him to the Manhyia Hospital where he died.

Investigations

He said the Regional Police Command had assured the family that the police would carry out thorough investigations into the issue.

He also urged eyewitnesses to assist the police in their investigations.