The graphiconline.com reported a disturbing story yesterday that a Police Constable and three Community Assistance Police (CAP) officers were attacked by thugs on Wednesday, January 15, 2025 at Akrofuom, within the Obuasi Divisional Police Command, while attempting to arrest a suspect, Sibuba, for threatening to cause harm to a complainant.
According to the story, the thugs, numbering about 50 and wielding various weapons, assaulted the officers, leaving them severely beaten and seized an AK47 rifle belonging to the police constable.
The story named the victims as G/Constable Solomon Okyere, Community Police Officers – Emmanuel Arhin, Alfred Danso and Frank Owusu Afriyie. The victims, the story continued, were later abandoned in a nearby bush and left for dead.
The injured officers, however, managed to call for assistance and reinforcements. They were later transported to the Obuasi Government Hospital, where they received treatment and have since been discharged.
The grahpiconline.com report quoted Police Situation Report (Sitrep) and alleged that the police team had gone to Sibuba’s residence to arrest him for threatening to cause harm to one Anthony Siaw.
When the officers arrived, the suspect pleaded with them to allow him to make a phone call to inform his family about the arrest.
The officers obliged. However, per the report, “few minutes later, a mob numbering about 50 and wielding all sorts of offensive weapons attacked and beat the officers mercilessly.” Â The AK47 rifle taken during the attack has since been retrieved.
The Chronicle finds this story and the accompanying pictures very disturbing and wonders why peace officers should be attacked in such a cruel manner by the very people they are protecting. Just a week ago, the youth of Ejura in the Ashanti Region also went berserk and attacked the local police station and personnel on duty over the death of a suspect.
Reports indicate that but for the timely intervention of re-enforcement team from both the police and the military, the police personnel on duty would have been killed.
The police have the constitutional mandate to ensure peace in the country. In so doing, they sometimes arrest people who have fallen foul to the law and prosecute them in law courts on behalf of the Attorney General. It is upon the basis of this that they are found in every nook and cranny of the country.
Unfortunately, a section of the population sometimes find the execution of their constitutional mandate as interference in their private lives and thus try to attack them. This unhealthy development should never be allowed to gain roots in the country.
In the Ejura case, for instance, if the personnel on duty had decided to defend themselves by opening fire and killing their attackers, hell would have broken loose in the country.
It is there that we would have seen human right groups in the country waking up from their slumber and making all manner of claims without first condemning the action of the victims. We sympathise with the family of the inmate who died either in his cells or at the hospital as we are being told.
Nevertheless this unfortunate development, we dare say, ought not to have resulted in the attack of the police station because proper investigation would have, at the end of the day, brought out the truth about the real cause of the death.
Regarding the Akrofuom case, the graphic story did not in any way state that the arresting officers maltreated the suspect. If this is the case, what was the basis for attacking the peace officers to the extent of seizing their weapons?
Clearly those involved in these two incidences we have referenced are lawless people and must be dealt with according to the laws of the country, to serve as a deterrent to others.
The Chronicle, therefore, expects the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr Akuffo Dampare’s administration to search, locate, arrest and prosecute those involved in these dastardly acts. The police must send strong signal to the people that personnel of the service are not criminals, but law enforcers and must, therefore, not be subjected to bad treatments they seem to be receiving now.
Failure by the police to act will send wrong signals to these criminals that they can attack the police and would not be arrested. The police service was established to protect Ghanaians and all those living in the country. Ghanaians must, therefore, give them respect no matter their flaws.
