The true identity of suspect Benlord Ababio, the alleged killer of a soldier, L/Cpl Michael Danso, is in limbo. Whereas the Ghana Police Service has told the court that the suspected killer is a National Security operative, the National Security, in a statement, said the alleged land guard is not one of them.
On May 1, 2024 a day after the alleged murder, the Ministry of National Security issued a statement and forcefully debunked assertions that the alleged killer of the soldier was a staff member of National Security.
The Ministry of National Security, in the release, indicated that it had taken note of reports on social media, linking the suspect, Benlord, to the ministry.
“The Ministry wishes to put on record that the suspect, Benlord Ababio, who is currently in police custody, is not a staff member of the Ministry of National Security,” the statement said.
The public was, therefore, urged to disregard any news item that portrayed the suspect as a staff member of the Ministry of National Security.
The public had been fed with the narrative of the Ministry of National Security, until the police arraigned the suspect before the Achimota court and revealed his identity.
BRIEF FACTS
According to the brief facts before the court, presided over by His Worship Owusu, the suspected killer of the young soldier is “a National Security Operative.”
The court has been told that “the accused person, Benlord Ababio, alias Nana Barima Ababio, is a national security officer and a self-acclaimed traditional ruler in Kasoa.”
INCIDENT
The court has also been informed of what led to the pulling of the trigger and the killing of the soldier.
The brief facts stated that on April 30, 2024 about 16:00 hours, the deceased, Corporal Michael Danso, a military officer stationed at the Army Base workshop in Burma Camp, together with two other colleagues, namely Lance Corporal Abdul Omar Rahman and Lance Corporal Ametus Mathew, went to Millennium City Police station on board a Toyota Rav4 with Reg. No. 3591-24 to report a case of trespass.
The decision was based on information that some encroachers were developing a parcel of land belonging to Lance Corporate Abdul Omar Rahman.
The accused person appeared at the police station, attacked and opened fire several times on No. 210715 Lance Corporal Michael Danso, who was in charge of the steering wheel of the Toyota Rav 4×4 vehicle, killing him instantly.
The accused person was immediately disarmed and arrested for investigation, and the accused was brought before the court for remand.
The suspect appeared in the Achimota District Court for the first time on Friday, May 3, 2024 but his plea was not taken. However, he was remanded for two weeks to re-appear on May 16, 2024.
LAND GUARD
Land disputes have become a pain in the neck of most residents of Accra and its environs. Hardly a day passes without one hearing of one land case or the other.
In most cases, armed machomen men, employed as land guards attack their victims at the least provocation.
The activities of land guards have gained notoriety, as the police seem incapable of dealing with the situation head-on.
The killing of the soldier last week has only added to the list of recorded cases, but several people have suffered atrocities at the hands of these land guards.
