Watchdog C'ttee Leader Seeks Police Help ...

...As Armed Robbers Pursue Him

A 44-YEAR old man and leader of the Ashaiman Soweto Official Town and Christian Village Watchdog Committee, Mr. Edmund Djiracko who was shot and wounded on December 6, last year, at Mandela Park opposite the Jehova Witnesses Church at about 12.00pm while waiting for members of his group, has appealed to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to give him protection.

Armed robbers operating from Ashaiman are hunting for his blood.

He made this passionate appeal at the Chronicle office at Tema last Friday and stated that his group had been thwarting most of their (armed robbers) attempts to steal and sometimes succeed in arresting some of them with their stolen goods and hand them over to the police for prosecution.

Chronicle learnt that on July 20, last year, while Djiracko's group was on patrol, armed robbers ambushed them between Ashaiman Newtown and Official Town and one of his men, Albert Agbo, received bullet wounds when the armed robbers opened fire.

Agbo was treated at the Tema General hospital after being hospitalised for some weeks.

Djiracko told Chronicle that he is the only person who owned a licensed gun in the group and on July 25, the group again spotted some people at an obscure corner and when they attempted to arrested them, they opened fire and his group took cover.

"I also counteracted their attack with shots from my gun and we heard one of the armed robbers shouting for help."

Chronicle learnt from Djiracko that it took sometime before his group went to the spot where the armed robbers had fired from, but only found provisions stolen from a broken kiosk, littered all over the place.

According to Djiracko, the group was able to locate the kiosk owner and made him collect the rest of the stolen items, adding "we finally reported the shooting incident to Mr. Victor Nyadi, the assembly member of the electoral area, who encouraged us to keep vigil until the following morning to report to the police.

"I went with Nyadi and reported the shooting incident to the police and one Inspector Mantey accompanied us to the spot where he took pictures and collected the exhibits."

Djiracko was later arrested by the police and charged with murder and remanded in prison custody where he was constantly threatened by some inmates related to the deceased, who had died at the Korle-Bu hospital when he was sent there for treatment.

He stated that he was arraigned before the Tema Community Tribunal provisionally charged with murder and was granted bail on August 2, last year.

Chronicle further learnt that on December 6, last year, while he was waiting at Mandela park, at about 12.00pm for a member of the group, he noticed somebody was advancing towards him in the darkness, but the assailant opened fire and sprayed him with a hail of bullets and then escaped.

" I found myself with bullet wounds all over my thighs, testicles and lower part of my waist, but I was treated and discharged by the grace of God."

Djiracko, who looks worried and does not even know what to do to appease the armed robbers, stated that "recently they caught up with my wife, stripped her naked and beat her up for not telling them where they can locate me."