Mahama's killers must pay – Minority

The Minority in Parliament has stated that under no circumstance should the excuse of lack of evidence be used to let the killers of Major Maxwell Mahama off the hook.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Class91.3FM’s Kwesi Parker Wilson during the state burial service for the late military officer on Friday, June 9, Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu stated: “What we do not expect and will not accept is to hear either from the Police Service or the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) or the Attorney General that they are in want of evidence; that will not be countenanced by us.”

The late soldier was lynched by a group of people at Denkyira Obuasi in the Central Region where he was on official duty to combat illegal small-scale mining, popularly known as galamsey.

The angry mob mistook Major Mahama for an armed robber after a snail seller spotted a pistol on him when he was reaching for his pocket to pay for snails he had bought from her while jogging on Monday 29 May.

Mr Iddrisu holds a strong view that “it must be seen that justice is done”. He explained that the reason for punishment is to serve as deterrence.

In his estimation, the late officer “demonstrated extreme professionalism” as he could easily have “taken other lives as his life was being taken” since he wielded a pistol, yet restrained himself.

“The best we can do in his memory, in living and sacrificing for the state, is to punish the perpetrators of the act and to unravel the mystery and the various stories behind his murder. The truth must be established and those culpable punished accordingly,” he observed.

He said: “Parliament supports the establishment of a monument for his memory; it can be a Major Mahama Barracks situated anywhere in Ghana but in a place visible so that we can all say ‘it is an end to mob justice’.”