Many people should have been jailed for May 9 disaster – Herbert Mensah

Chairman of Kumasi Asante Kotoko, Herbert Mensah, says he would have prosecuted directly involved in the events of May 9, 2001 while several other top government officials would have lost the job when a stadium stampede resulted in the death of football fans at the Accra Sports Stadium.

127 fans died in a stadium stampede when police fired tear gas into a crowd of supporters during a game involving Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko.

The Sam Okudjeto commission was set up to look into the incident and Herbert Mensah, Kotoko chairman at the time, says many people in higher office should have been prosecuted after the incident.

“I’ve always believed that people must take responsibilities for their actions. And it’s not the small people, it’s the big people I’m talking about,” he said.

“In any other country, the Minister of State would have resigned; the Interior Minister would have resigned; the Minister of Sport would have resigned; there were would have been prosecutions for people who were involved directly; police commissioners and members of national security would have lost their jobs; and it would have set a mark.

“We would have then had a look at the way we run football and cleanse the system.”