A collage of Perpetual Didier and her late brother
Gospel musician, Perpetual Didier, has poohpoohed the post-mortem examination results and further communication put out by the Ghana Police Service that stated that the cause of her brother’s death was Asphyxiation and Obstruction of the airway by a foreign body.
The police, in a statement issued on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, and signed by Grace Ansah-Akrofi, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Director, Public Affairs, had said due process was followed in the conduct of the post-mortem.
“On 7th February 2023, a post-mortem examination was conducted on the deceased's body in the presence of Alfred Boafo, father of the accused, Dr Rosana Polinicio Segborwortso Pathologist of GA East Municipal hospital representing the accused, Mr Francis Xavier Sosu lawyer for the deceased, Louis Melabah Edeafor, uncle of the deceased, Isaac Anim Anno, father of the deceased and Anna Cobbina sister of the deceased.
“The pathologist gave the verbal cause of death as Asphyxiation and Obstruction of the airway by a foreign body. He also retrieved from the throat of the deceased, eight (8) zipped bags containing dry leaves suspected to be narcotic drugs tied in a piece of black polythene.
"The retrieved, suspected narcotic substances tested positive for cannabis when submitted for forensic examination, in the presence of all the interested parties,” the statement read.
However, in her interview with JoyNews, Wednesday, February 8, 2023, Perpetual, clad in all-black attire, vehemently rejected the report and accused the police of attempting to conceal the truth and distort the narrative.
“If they’re saying they’ve done investigations, and that he swallowed weed which is wrapped in rubber and they found eight folded weed inside, I want to ask Ghanaians, is weed okro? Can someone swallow weed with ease? Have they given us a footage of the time he swallowed the weed?” a visibly incensed Perpetual retorted.
According to the musician, attempts to get a medical doctor to represent them during the post-mortem, ended up being an exercise in futility as the police hurriedly facilitated the process before the scheduled time.
“When we went to the morgue together with two MPs, they wanted to start the autopsy and I told them that we need a medical doctor so they should give us a chance to find one which of course we got one who is out of Accra. He gave us his colleague who begged us to tell the police to allow him to come today [Wednesday]…” she recounted.
She also noted that the police later went ahead without the said medical doctor to represent the family.
“Because they didn’t wait for our doctor to come inside the room. I will not accept; my family too says they will not accept whatever they are telling us,” she explained, reiterating her initial comment that the police at the West Hills Mall contributed to the death of her brother, amid serious accusations.
“The police did not include how he was brutalized in their statement; that means they have swept away everything. They’re indicating that it is only the weed that caused his death. It could be that when they took the body to the police morgue, somebody planted the weed inside his throat so that our lawyer [who was with them during the autopsy process] will say he saw weed. They should provide how he was swallowing it,” said Perpetual.
Background
Gospel musician, Perpetual Didier alleged in a viral video that her brother was killed by some police officers.
According to her, the incident happened at the West Hills Mall in Accra on January 30, 2022.
The musician explained that her brother, was brutally assaulted by the uniformed policemen, leading to his untimely death.
“Someone should tag the IGP. I need justice for my brother. Tell him that this is a crime one of his men has done to my family by killing my brother. We are all Ghanaians with equal rights and freedom. Why will you use your position to take someone’s life?” she said in her Facebook Live video, amidst tears.
How the incident came about
In her narration, her brother (the deceased) had gone to the West Hills Mall to withdraw money in order to purchase some items intended to be sent to his sister in Germany.
She added that, from what an eyewitness told her, the police demanded that her brother hand over his bag to be searched, but he refused.
This then led to the police officer getting agitated and then hitting and pushing him to the ground.
Perpetual added that her brother fell to the ground and hit his head on the floor, breaking his neck in the process.
He is said to have lost consciousness, at which time the police officer tased the motionless man on the floor.
It is believed that this worsened the state the young man was already in, leading to his death.
NEWS RELEASE:
UPDATE ON POLICE INVESTIGATION INTO THE DEATH OF SHADRACH ARLOO AT THE WEST HILLS MALL pic.twitter.com/zRRyLviHsg
— Ghana Police Service (@GhPoliceService) February 7, 2023
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