Murdered soldier’s body was found ‘naked with the head damaged’ – Witness

A prosecution witness in the murder case of Major Maxwell Mahama has told the Accra High Court that the deceased body was discovered totally “naked with the head damaged and body partly burnt”.

Chief Inspector Daniel Yeboah, who is the 10th prosecution Witness in the trial case, said he asked his men to photograph the body, which was later sent to the mortuary at Dunkwa-on-offin

Mr Yamoah who has been a police officer for the past 34 years, was giving his evidence in chief on Monday. He was led in evidence by Chief State Attorney Mr Joshua Sackey.

Narrating, what happened on May 29, 2017, the witness said at around 10:10am, he was in his office at Deiso Police station, when William Baah, the Assembly member of Denkyira Obuasi, who is now an accused person on trial, came to lodge a complaint.

The witness said the Assembly member said around 0900 hours, he received a called from food sellers that they had seen a man (Late Major Mahama) with a gun jogging on the Denkyira Obuasi highway, and that they suspected him to be an armed robber.

He said the Assembly member said he mobilised two men armed with guns and followed the man, and on reaching the cemetery junction, they saw him and attempted to approach him, but the man pulled a gun at him and managed to escape so he decided to report to the Police.

“I directed him to the Charge Office to make a formal complaint,” he added.

Mr Yeboah, who is also the Station Officer, said his District Commander one Adu Agyeman later called him from Dunkwa-on-offin, informing him that he had received a report of an armed robber’s presence at Denkyira-Obuasi and so he quickly mobilised his men and together with three AK 47 riffles boarded a private car to the scene.

He said when they arrived at the scene around 10:25am they saw more than 100 people standing at the scene, so they drove them away, where they sighted the alleged robber lying naked with bruises all over his body with his head damaged with pieces of cement blocks beside him.

“I asked my men to photograph the body for onward transportation to Dunkwa-On-Offin mortuary for preservation,” he said.

He said around the area, the team found one empty 9MM CBC local cartridge and on the same day at around 1900 hours, a three-man military team led by one W.0 II Lawrence Akyea Yaw came to the Station and reported that their detachment commander went for jogging around 07:30am that morning and had since not returned.

He said the leader said they have also heard that an armed robber has been lynched in the area and they have followed up to the mortuary and recognised the deceased to be their commander, hence their move to lodge a formal complaint.

The witness then identified a photograph of the deceased in open court, taken by his men at the scene.

Fourteen persons are standing trial at an Accra High Court over the killing of Major Mahama, who was an officer of the 5th Infantry Battalion, at Burma Camp.

The late Major was on duty at Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region when on May 29, 2017 some residents allegedly mistook him for an armed robber and lynched him.

The mob had ignored his persistent plea that he was an officer of the Ghana Armed Forces.

The accused are William Baah, the Assemblyman of Denkyira Obuasi, Bernard Asamoah alias Daddy, Kofi Nyame a.k.a Abortion, Akwasi Boah,Kwame Tuffour, Joseph Appiah Kubi, Michael Anim and Bismarck Donkor.

Others are John Bosie, Akwasi Baah, Charles Kwaning, Emmanuel Badu, Bismarck Abanga and Kwadwo Anima.

The Court presided over by Justice Mariama Owusu adjourned the case to Tuesday May 21 for continuation.