Mills’ death unnatural -Family head declares

The controversy surrounding the death of the late President John Evans Mills is back on the front burner as family head, Paul Ackom, rekindles the subject with a vociferous allegation that his brother did not die naturally.

“There is foul play in Mills’ death,” he said.

His latest demand for a post-mortem on the remains of his brother was prompted by former President Jerry John Rawlings’ opinion that the late Mills’ death was a blessing for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) which he proffered late last week.

Speaking to Oman FM on Wednesday rather hysterically, Mr Paul Ackom recalled the circumstances surrounding his brother’s death amidst dirges.

“How can the death of Mills be a blessing for the party in power as former President Rawlings claimed? I respect Rawlings a lot. I see him as a dynamic personality but for him to say what he said suggests that he knows something about what killed my brother,” Mr Ackom underscored.

“The NDC has returned to opposition already,” he said, explaining that he and his people in Otuam would not vote for the party come the next elections.

“We demand the remains of our brother for reburial in our hometown. When Limann died he was buried in his hometown, as was Kwame Nkrumah earlier. We ask John Mahama whether he would be buried at the Castle when he died?” he said with a strong voice.

The Castle in the 18th Century he said, “was a burial ground for slaves who died as they awaited their shipment abroad. Mills has a family pedigree and not a slave to be buried at a place where slaves were buried. We demand his remains for reburial at Otuam.”

When Mills died he said, “a press conference we sought to organize was aborted by the authorities. We intended to demand the remains for burial at his hometown.”

Mills died without blemish and just like Kwame Nkrumah, he died an honest man. “Let them be careful. We are serious,” he warned.

Government, he went on, has not told them anything about their request for the return of the remains of Mills. “Ato Dadzie has not told us anything,” he said.

“How can mild stroke kill a person as Cadman Mills said?” he wondered.

Rawlings said all manner of things against Mills, Mr Ackom said, as he recalled the former President’s denigrating remarks like “Atta Mortuary Man, Atta Go Slow,” to buttress his point about he (Rawlings) not supportive of the late president when he was at the helm.

Rawlings, according to him, said all these because Mills refused to do his (Rawlings’) bidding while he (Mills) was in office as president.

“Mills bled from his body openings,” he said, adding that “He did not receive attention until after an hour.”

Paul Ackom quizzed, “Governments would come and go. Why was Mills’ death a blessing for the NDC? Whoever dies without a post-mortem? We demand a post-mortem report to establish the cause of death.”