Gbi-Wegbe: IGP petitioned to investigate killing of taxi driver by police
The chiefs and people of Gbi-Wegbe in the Hohoe Municipality in the Volta Region, have petitioned the Inspector General of Police to initiate an inquiry into the death of a 29-year-old taxi driver during a police operation in the town on December 9, 2022.
The deceased, Bismark Isaac Opare according to the chiefs and the people was shot in the abdomen.
Advertisement
He was reportedly on an errand at the time, when he was hit in the abdomen with his internal organs gushing out.
They claim that the police was on an operation to arrest a suspect in the area and resulted in the death of Opare.
An eyewitness had earlier claimed he was with the deceased at the time of the incident.
He told Graphic Online that the incident happened at about 11:30 pm on December 9, 2022.
The witness said the deceased was out to buy dinner for himself after closing from work.
He said upon getting to the scene, they noticed about four armed police officers, who aimed their guns and shot in an attempt to disperse a crowd which had started to gather at the scene of the operation.
Alarmed at the deadly scene, he said they took to their heels, however, Opare was hit in the abdomen, stumbled and fell to the ground.
Other Trending Stories
He claimed that the body was left unattended at the scene until the Hohoe Police Command was notified and a team was sent to convey the body.
At a press conference organised on Wednesday, December 21, 2022 by the Divisional Chief of Gbi-Wegbe and the Left Wing Chief of Gbi Traditional Area, Togbe Keh XII described the conduct of the police who were reportedly sent from the intelligence Unit of the Volta Regional Police Command as "insensitive and unprofessional."
He called for an in-depth investigation into the operation and those found culpable dealt with accordingly, while also calling for the family of the deceased to be adequately compensated.
The Hohoe Municipal Chief Executive, Noble Awume told Graphic Online that the frequent police operations in the town often at the blind side of the Volta North Regional Police Command was not good.
"It is something that has been happening often where they dispatch some individuals and some groups in police vehicles to do some operations around without recourse to the Police Command here."