Keta youth accuse police of beating suspect to death
Tension is mounting between the youth in Keta in the Volta Region and the police, following the death of an indigene, Jerry Kpesenu, soon after he was arrested in his house and sent to the police station.
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While the family of the deceased and the youth accuse the police of beating him to death in their custody, the police insist the 45-year-old man fell ill in his cell and was rushed to the Keta Municipal Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
A spokesman of the deceased’s family told the Daily Graphic yesterday that the deceased earlier that fateful day, Thursday, stopped a tenant from fixing an air conditioner in his rented room, insisting the tenant needed his permission to do so.
That led to bitter exchanges between them and the tenant subsequently reported the matter to the police. The family spokesman said the two policemen, one in uniform and the other in mufti, turned up in his house and started beating him before dragging him to the Keta Divisional Police Command, where he died from the earlier and further torture meted out to him.
Meanwhile, a source close to the Volta Regional Police Headquarters in Ho has confirmed the story, and said investigations had begun into the matter. The source called on the public to remain calm while investigations were ongoing.
At the time of filing this report, a delegation from the Keta Municipal Assembly, led by the Chief Executive, Emmanuel Gemegah, who expressed regret over the incident, was set to meet the family of the deceased.
Mr Gemegah told the Daily Graphic that a team of senior police officers from the National Police Headquarters, Accra, and the Regional Police Headquarters in Ho had been to Keta as part of the investigation.
A youth group is expected to hold a press conference today at Keta in connection with the incident.
