We could not petition PNDC

The brother of a man, who was killed by a militia man in 1985 on Thursday said the militia put so much fear into the family that they could not petition the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) to ascertain the reason for the murder.

Alfred Adjetey Tetteh, brother of Harrison Mensah Teye, who alleged that his brother was killed on orders of Yaw Nkwantabisa, a former commander of the Militia in Tema, was giving evidence at the National Reconciliation Commission.

He said he was surprised that though the family did not still know the person who shot Teye, not even the militia nor members of the PNDC had expressed their sympathy to the family.

Tetteh said the family gave his brother a fitting burial according to custom, but the body had deteriorated since the mortuary attendants would not release it to the family until Nkwantabisa ordered them.

He said he did not see his brother's face before he was buried adding that his parents died out of sadness. The Witness said the militia were not performing the duties but rather harassed the communities they were to protect, especially with their guns.

Tetteh said he did not know Nkawntabisa and when he attempted to contact him at the Tema Port, a friend warned him that it would bring him more trouble, as Nkwantabisa was a "Fearful Man".

Nkwantabisa on Wednesday admitted that a militiaman shot Teye on 31 December 1985 and died on arrival at the Tema General Hospital. Nkwantabisa said he learnt of the shooting incident on his return from Accra and the Commission grilled him on why the militia failed to show sympathy for Teye's family after his death.

According to Tetteh, Teiko Tagoe with whom his brother worked at Oldman Stevedoring Company to offload tuna at the port reported to them that a militiaman had shot Teye.

Tagoe told them that Teye was shot when he refused to surrender some pieces of leftover tuna the company had rejected and he was bringing home. Tetteh said after Teye's death the family approached the then Tema District Secretary, Adjei Annan, who handed them to an officer at the Police Headquarters to attend to them.

Tetteh said the officer treated them with contempt when they approached him to help with the burial of Teye. He asked them "to send the case to heaven if they were not satisfied with his action."

They left disappointed and though they wanted to seek the services of a counsel to pursue the case, they abandoned it because they could not afford it. Tetteh said Nkwantabisa was part of the team that observed the autopsy but did not show any interest in the organisation of the funeral. He added that Mr Ahia, the Director of his brother's workplace, decided to bear the expenses of the funeral.