Wa shooting incident committee presents report

Wa, April 16, GNA - The committee appointed by the Upper West Regional Security Council (REGSEC) to investigate the shooting incident at Wa on the night of January 3 2005, resulting in the death of 20-year old Salahudeen Iddrisu, has presented its report to Mr Ambrose Dery, the Regional Minister who is also chairman of REGSEC

Presenting the 26-page report to the Minister, Mr Justice K. A. Ofori-Atta, the supervising high court judge at Wa and chairman of the seven-member committee, said the committee held thirty-one public sittings and took evidence from forty-one witnesses including the three policemen involved in the shooting.

He said the inability of the committee to finish its work within the stipulated two-week deadline, was a result of the difficulties the committee had in getting the three police personnel to testify, hence the delay by the committee in presenting it's report.

Mr Justice Ofori-Atta said, in the course of it's investigations, the committee visited the scene of the incident, the rented police barrack allegedly attacked by angry mob at Wa and the Wa police station where some vehicles were said to have been vandalized by the angry mob. He hoped the thorough work done by the committee would go a long way to unravel the cause of the incidence as well as fostering reconciliation between the public in Wa and the police to ensure enduring peace.

The committee's chairman praised the father of the deceased, Alhaji Iddrisu Umar for his " very large heart " who helped in calming the situation by going on the air at the local FM radio station to appeal to the people not to take the law into their own hands and co-operate with the committee to unravel the truth about the incident.

Receiving the report, Mr Dery assured the people of Wa that REGSEC would study it and do whatever was necessary in implementing recommendations of the report.

He called for peace and confidence between the people and the police pointing out that the law is never on holiday and that whoever breaches it must be prepared to face the consequences.

The incident on the night of January 3 this year is said to have occurred when the three policemen were involved in an argument with some motorbike riders, which led to the shooting incident.