Ofoase Police Accused of Protecting Torture - Suspects

THE YOUTH of Ofoase Kuma in the Birim North District of the Eastern Region have accused the police authorities of allegedly shielding three police personnel at the Ofoasi Police Station who it is alleged, tortured one Kwadwo Amankwa-Tia, leading to his death on May 25, 2001.

The deceased's crime was that he failed to pay ?10,000 out of the total ?25,000 being his share of the levy for a self-help electrification project undertaken in the town.

The police personnel involved in the saga are Constables John Dakeh, Peter Song and one Morttey.

According to the youth, when the three policemen tortured Amankwa-Tia at the Ofoase police cells and sent him to the hospital when he was almost dead at the insistence of Tia's family and his subsequent death at the Akim Oda Hospital, they reported the matter to the police authorities but no proper action was taken against the three policemen.

The youth alleged that after the family had instructed their lawyer in the person of Mr. John Aidoo to file a protest letter to the IGP and publications in the Chronicle, the Eastern Regional Police Commander went to town and informed them that the policemen involved in the incident have been interdicted pending full scale investigations into the matter.

They alleged that the policemen were still at post with no sign of interdiction since they see them with rifles and wearing their police uniforms - while the body of the deceased is still at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital mortuary because of the controversy surrounding Tia's death.

In the night of March 3, this year, the youth stormed the house of the Assembly man, Mr. Emmanuel Ofei Ansah and expressed their displeasure at the way the police administration were handling the matter and warned to avenge the death of their colleague.

When the Eastern regional police command was contacted, a source stated that the regional police authorities were still investigating the matter and will come out with its findings soon and, therefore, called on the people to exercise patience.

However, the source could not confirm or deny whether the embattled cops were still at post or have been interdicted.

Meanwhile, Chronicle investigations have revealed that the police authorities have secretly transferred the affected policemen from Ofoase to other stations in the Eastern Region.

The body of Amankwa-Tia still lies at the Korle-Bu mortuary almost a year after his death due to the impasse between his family and the police.