Policeman found dead whilst on duty at Akyem Oda petrol station

The Akyem Oda Divisional and the Eastern Regional Police commands are baffled and trying to unravel the circumstances which led to the death of a police officer on duty on Monday night.

The police have initiated investigations to unravel the circumstances under which the officer, General Lance Corporal Alhassan Asare, attached to the Akyem Swedru Police Station was compelled to commit what looks like a suicide.

They are however not also ruling out the fact that it could have been an accidental firing of the gun.

This is because the police officer could have been dozing and accidentally fired his gun during the night.

The deceased aged, 35, who passed out in 2011 and was on duty at the Dukes Petroleum filling station at Akyem Swedru on Monday night, was found dead with bullet wounds on his head and sitting in a plastic chair early Tuesday morning [August 20, 2019].

Whilst some think it could be have been accident whilst the officer dosed off, others suspect it was suicide.

Police hold emergency meeting at Oda

The sudden death of L/Cpl. Asare compelled the Eastern Regional Police Commander, Commissioner of Police (COP) Mr. Adu Amankwah and the Oda Divisional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mr. F.S. Adikah to hold an emergency meeting with the officers and men of the divisional command to unravel the cause of death of the junior officer.

Throwing more light on the sad incident, the Eastern Regional Public Affairs Officer of the Ghana Police Service, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr. Ebenezer Tetteh, told Graphic Online that at about 6 a.m. Tuesday, Lance Corporal Eugene Songoti Abaah of the Akyem Swedru Police station, phoned the Oda Divisional Police Comand that he went to Dukes Petroleum filling station at Akyem Swedru to buy fuel for his vehicle.

He said L/Cpl Abaah decided to climb upstairs of the storey building to check on his colleague policeman, Cpl Asare who was on duty.

Gun shot wounds

Mr. Tetteh said to the surprise of L/Cpl Abaah, he saw L/Cpl. Asare sitting in a plastic chair on the storey building dead with his AK 47 assault rifle between his thighs with severe gunshot wounds on the head.

He said the uniform of the deceased policeman was soaked with blood while three empty shells were found on the floor.

Mr. Tetteh said the Divisional Commander, Mr. Adikah after visiting the accident scene, quickly informed the Regional Police Commander, Mr. Adu Amankwah who also rushed to the scene to ascertain the truth about the matter and later held an emergency meeting with officers and men in the divisional command.

Body to be conveyed to Police Hospital

Meanwhile, the Regional Commander has directed that the corpse of the late Cpl Asare should be removed from Oda Government Hospital to the Police Hospital in Accra for preservation and autopsy pending further investigations into the matter.

Mr. Adikah, the Divisonal Police Commander said, the late Cpl Asare was staying with his wife and two children at Akyem Swedru Police Barracks.

He stated that the late Cpl. Asare who was asthmatic had no problem with anybody.