Adams Mahama died unnatural death – Pathologist

The former Upper East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Adams Mahama, died an unnatural death, a pathologist has told an Accra High Court.

Dr. Lawrence Edusei, who performed the post-mortem on the deceased, noted that the late NPP chieftain, who was allegedly attacked by Gregory Afoko, died of shocked lungs due to the extensive burns.

The pathologist, who initially swerved the court, finally turned up yesterday and submitted the autopsy report on the deceased.

Led in his evidence-in-chief by Mathew Amponsah, a senior state attorney, the witness stated that 81 percent of Adams Mahama’s body surface was burnt as a result of the acid bathe.

“He had extensive burns involving both the upper and the lower limbs, the head and face, chest – both the front and the back, the abdominal wall, the front and the back. If you take the whole body as 100 percent, then 81 percent of the body was burnt,” Dr. Edusei confirmed.

The pathologist further told the court that the late Adams Mahama had a dead skin and the burnt areas felt like leather.

Internal Examination

Touching on the results of internal examination he carried out, the pathologist told the court that the lungs of the deceased were heavy and there were pointed bleeding on the surfaces of both lungs.

“Bloody fluids oozed out when they were pressed,” he said.

On the heart and the vessels, Dr. Edusei disclosed that there were deposits of fatty tissues in the lining of the major vessels.

He said the heart became enlarged, confirming that the deceased had high blood pressure.

“All the other structures in the heart were all normal,” the pathologist said.

He stated that the digestive system of the deceased was normal and his two kidneys were also normal in size.

“The urinary tract, the bladder, the prostate were all normal… the brain and the vessels were normal,” Dr. Edusei added.

Burnt Skin

The pathologist told the court that as part of his post-mortem analysis, he submitted part of the burnt area of the skin to the pathology laboratory of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

He added that he studied the completed slides under a microscope and found out that the skin was dead.

“So my conclusion is that the cause of death was due to extensive acid burns, an unnatural cause,” Dr. Edusei concluded.

Cross Examination

Defence lawyer, Osafo Buabeng, in his cross-examination of the witness, asked the pathologist whether the deceased died of extensive acid burns and he answered in the affirmative.

Asked whether he conducted a toxicologist test on the deceased, he said that he was aware the investigators were handling that aspect.

The defence asked the pathologist whether he relied on the investigators’ report about the cause of burns.

“There are different types of burns and you can determine what is causing what. The further test is to determine the exact acid and that is totally different from what I did,” Dr. Edusei explained.

The court, presided over Justice Lawrence L. Mensah, adjourned the matter to today for the defence lawyer to further cross-examine the pathologist.

Gregory Afoko, a farmer, is alleged to have killed Adams Mahama, the NPP Upper East Regional chairman.

Afoko is facing trial over charges of conspiracy to commit crime to wit murder and murder.

He has pleaded not guilty before the court which is also composed of a seven-member jury.