Stop Playing Politics With Our Son's Death

THE FAMILY of the late Salifu Ahmed Maikakan, a.k.a MKK, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) activist who lost his life last friday, has urged all political parties to stop playing politics with the death of their beloved son.

According to them, the position taken by some political parties to read politics into the death of MKK just to score cheap political points was uncalled for. "As a family, we are very much concerned about the politicization of our son's death and the increasing media reportage and public comments at a time that we are still in grief.


We wish to take this opportunity to plead with all the political parties to refrain from the false and disturbing media commentaries about MKK's death." At a press conference yesterday, the spokesperson for the family, Alhaji Prince Ahmed Nuhu, stated that in as much as the family is at the moment not aware about the cause of death of MKK, it was wrong for people to draw conclusive statements as to what led to his death.


In the statwement signed by Chief Alhaji Aminu Bawa and Chief Alhaji Labaran Musah, and read by Nuhu, they condemned the politicization of the cause of MKK's death and expressed regret that instead of people sympathizing with them, they have rather resorted to adding more insult to their injury by making political statements about their loss.


He said - "following the decision of the police authorities to perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death of our brother and son's death, members of the family were allowed into the mortuary to observe and examine the corpse of MKK.


There were no wounds, scars or scratches that will lead us to conclude that he was killed by this or that, until the report from the police is out."

MKK was alleged to have joined hundreds of NPP sympathizers who thronged the BNI premises, where the police was said to have used tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd, following the detention of former Minister of Information, Mr. Asamoah Boateng by the BNI last Thursday.


The death of MKK the following Friday generated a lot of accusations, especially from the NPP, to the extent that they accused the police of killing their party member.


Nana Ohene-Ntow, the General Secretary of the NPP claimed on various radio stations that he was physically present when MKK was brutally assaulted by the police, resulting in his untimely death.


But Nuhu said the family's contention is that their brother's soul should be left in peace, until the police come out with the autopsy report. The family of the late NPP activist took serious exceptions to a Daily Guide's front page on Saturday, when it carried the picture of the late MKK when he was being prepared for burial.


The press conference was nearly marred when an assembly woman, known to be an NPP activist, sought to make a different claim from that of the family. The family, however, appealed to the Police to fast track the autopsy and to release the body for burial..