'Sherrif cried for help but no one helped my dying son’ – Mother of slain soldier

The mother of the soldier who was murdered in Ashaiman in the Greater Accra region has disclosed that the deceased was mistaken for a criminal and was subjected to mob justice.

She said, reports she had indicated that the late Trooper Sherrif Imoro told his assailants that he was not a thief and further pleaded for assistance, but no one was able to save his life.

Speaking in an interview with Joy News she explained that the late Sheriff Imoro called the Assemblyman of the area for assistance as he struggled with his attackers but he was ignored and mistaken for a thief.

“… I heard the news about how my son struggled and called for help but nobody was willing to help him out. My son shouted for help, explaining that he was a soldier and not a criminal, but no one would listen. I have even heard that the Assemblyman for the Taifa area was called to intervene, but he told them the person could be a criminal so he refused to come out to help.

“My son cried for help; he called out to people to save his life; explaining that he wasn’t a criminal, but no one could help my dying son,” she lamented.

Afia Akyaa added that the nature of her son's death had left the entire family traumatized.

Some soldiers invaded Ashaiman in the early hours of Tuesday apparently in search of the murderers of their young colleague.

Several videos of the incident captured by some residents went viral on social media. In some of these videos, personnel were seen hitting and brutalising those who were outside of their rooms.

The incident, referred to the military as a swoop, happened on the dawn of Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at Official town in Ashaiman.

The Ghana Armed Forces has stated that the March 7, 2023 swoop at Ashaiman was not to avenge the killing of the late Sherrif Imoro but rather to fish out perpetrators of the murder.

A press statement dated March 7, 2023, confirmed that the operation was authorized and that it was not targeted at innocent civilians but was an intelligence-led operation conducted on suspected hideouts of criminals and crime-prone areas in the Ashaiman.

“Personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) on Tuesday 7 March 2023, conducted a swoop in Ashaiman and its environs in a man-hunt for some criminals, who are suspected to have stabbed and killed a young soldier (Trooper Imoro Sherrif) in the early hours of Saturday 4 March 2023, at Ashaiman-Taifa.

“Trooper Sherrif, who is stationed in Sunyani, was in Accra on a Course and had sought permission to visit his parents at Ashaiman where he grew up, but was found in a pool of blood in the early hours of Saturday near the Amania Hotel in Ashaiman.

“GAF wishes to state categorically that the military operation, which was sanctioned by the Military High Command, was NOT to avenge the killing of the soldier but rather to fish out the perpetrators of the heinous crime.

The statement added that: “Following the operations at Ashaiman-Taifa and Tulaku, the military personnel picked up about 184 suspects aged between 21 and 47 years old and have since handed them over to the Military Police and subsequently to be sent to the Ghana Police Service for screening and for further action.

“During the swoop, the personnel seized 9 and 57 mini slabs of suspected indian hemp and amnesia among other forms of narcotics,” it added.

Watch the new episode of The Lowdown below:

You can also watch this episode of People & Places on GhanaWeb TV here:



AM/SARA