Last Friday, tension erupted at the Adabraka District Court in Accra, during the case involving the alleged killing of Immigration Officer, Stephen King Amoah. The second accused, Thomas Zigah, appeared before the court where his lawyer requested that he be treated at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, instead of the Police Hospital, citing deteriorating health.
The prosecution opposed the request, noting that the suspect had already been treated and discharged twice at the Police Hospital. The court ruled that a formal application would be required for any hospital change and also rejected a plea for a one-week adjournment.
After court proceedings, chaos ensued outside the premises, as members of the deceased officer’s family, visibly distressed, confronted and attempted to attack the accused’s lawyer. The situation escalated quickly, forcing police officers to intervene. The lawyer was mobbed briefly, before being escorted back into the courtroom for safety and later driven to his car under tight police protection.
First and foremost, we extend our deepest condolences to the family of the late Immigration Officer, Stephen King Amoah. His tragic death is a national loss and no words can adequately capture the grief and pain his family is enduring. The cry for justice in such circumstances is natural, valid and deserving of the highest respect.
However, the attack on the accused’s lawyer outside the Adabraka District Court was not only regrettable but also dangerous to the very cause the family seeks, justice. Under Ghana’s Constitution, every accused person, no matter the severity of the crime is entitled to legal representation. It is not a privilege but a fundamental right. Denying or intimidating a lawyer for defending an accused person does not serve justice; it obstructs it. Without a lawyer, the courts cannot proceed and justice for the slain officer would be delayed indefinitely.
History offers us lessons. Even warlords such as Sierra Leone’s Foday Sankoh, leader of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), whose reign of terror left thousands dead, was entitled to legal representation when brought before a court of law. If such individuals were afforded the right to a lawyer, then surely our justice system must protect the same right for anyone accused in Ghana today.
Attacking a lawyer for simply doing his duty undermines the rule of law and risks turning a solemn quest for justice into mob retribution. It is the courts, not the crowd, that determine guilt or innocence. For the family of Officer Amoah, the surest way to honour his memory is to allow the legal process to run its full course. This includes respecting the defence counsel’s role, however painful it may feel, because their presence ensures the trial is legitimate and the eventual verdict stands beyond reproach.
We urge the public, particularly grieving families, to resist acts of intimidation against lawyers or court officials. Such actions not only endanger lives but also compromise the very justice they seek. The police must also be commended for swiftly intervening to protect the lawyer, but they must go further by ensuring that court premises remain safe spaces where justice can unfold without fear.
What happened at Adabraka should never happen again. Justice is not vengeance. Justice is due process. And due process demands that both the prosecution and defence are heard before the truth is established and the guilty are punished.
Let us allow the law to work for the memory of Officer Amoah and for the integrity of our democracy.
