Capt. Mahama’s murder: I’m still in shock - Father

Capt. Rtd. Dennis Mahama, father of the late Capt. Maxwell Adam Mahama says he’s still in shock as he finds it difficult to get over the death of his son because he keeps seeing flashes of how his son was brutalised and murdered by residents of Denkyira-Obuasi who allegedly mistook him for an armed robber.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Raymond Acquah on JoyNews, Capt. Rtd. Dennis Mahama in tears said each time he stays alone, he sees the image of his son appear before him suffering and struggling which makes him cry as he’s not able to help his son.

This makes him feel extremely terrible and devastated and in order to avoid this, he makes sure he is always in the company of others just to forget everything.

“Terrible, terrible, I can’t stay alone. I have to be with people. Anytime I stay alone he’s standing in front of me, standing in front of me suffering and I start crying. I cannot stay alone because his picture will appear before me and you will see him suffering, struggling and I will be crying for him. But if I’m with people in a company it’s a bit better for me. I’m still in shock up to now; I cannot stay alone. Right now as I’ve just seen him suffering, I can’t take the picture off. It comes, it comes,” he said.

He further explained that the Armed Forces command led by the Chaplain and Imam came to meet his family on Tuesday morning to officially confirm the death of his son saying the officer they sent to Denkyira-Obuasi for the galamsey operations was lynched by the villagers.

The deceased, Captain Maxwell Adam Mahama, was lynched with parts of his body burnt by some residents of Denkyira-Obuasi in the Upper West Denkyira District of the Central Region.

Different accounts have been given about how he actually died on that fateful day of Monday, 29th May 2017.

Initial reports said he was mistaken for an armed robber by residents after he was seen jogging in civilian clothes with a gun.

Later, reports suggested he was attacked and killed by the townsfolk who identified him as a soldier deployed to stop them from undertaking illegal small-scale mining in the area.

Seven suspects have been remanded by the court as the police continue with investigations.

Biography

The late Captain Maxwell Mahama was born in 1985 at Bole in the Northern region.

He went to Services Primary School at Takoradi when his father was transferred to the area.

He continued at John Teye Memorial School and then to Akosombo International School.

According to his father, he had his secondary education at St John’s Senior High School in Sekondi and later joined the army after his first degree in political science from the University of Ghana, Legon, he also had his Masters’ degree.