Following the killing of 28-year old Albert Donkor and one other at Nkoranza in the Bono East region, there have been calls by some Ghanaians that a Commission of Inquiry be set to investigate the circumstances that led to the actions of the police, but a private legal practitioner thinks otherwise.
Lawyer Nana Sekyere Boateng believes the family of the victims would only get justice when they resort to the court.
A statement from the Ghana Police Service says Albert Donkor was an armed robber who died in an exchange of fire with them.
However, the family has refuted the claims, saying he was picked up from home to police custody, where he died. His death has led to some level of disturbances in the community.
On Tuesday, May 17, the youth went on a rampage and attacked the Nkoranza Municipal Police headquarters in a bid to demand justice for Albert Donkor, who was allegedly killed while in police custody.
In the said rampage by the youth, one other person was killed by the police while nine persons, including three in critical condition, are receiving treatment for gunshot wounds at the St. Theresa’s Catholic Hospital.
Commenting on the development in an interview, the legal practitioner said, commissions of inquiry set up to investigate previous similar violent incidents have failed to yield any positive result.
“What have been the results of the reports issued by the previous commissions of inquiries? Have we seen the culprits indicted in the report punished? They are walking freely”, he said.
The lawyer cited the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election violence and Ejura disturbances as examples of incidents where commissions of enquiries were set up, but no offender has faced the law after their report.
“When the family goes to court, they would have the opportunity to question every action of the Police and prove to them that their relative was not an armed robber”, he added.
“The Police on the other hand, can prove to the family why they claim the deceased, Albert Donkor, was a robber and every other hidden issue surrounding his death that is unknown to the family”, he suggested.
Meanwhile, there is relative calm at Nkoranza, following a visit by a high powered delegation from the Police Headquarters in Accra, led by COP Christian Tetteh Yohuno, the Director of Police Administration.
The Police Administration, together with the Bono East Regional Minister, Mr. Kwasi Adu-Gyan, the Nkoranza Municipal Chief Executive Mr. Daniel Yaw Owiredu and NPP Executives met and sympathised with the families of the late Albert Donkor.
MP’s Demonstration
Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Nkoranza South, Mr. Emmanuel Agyekum has disclosed that a letter will be sent to the Police to inform them of plans to demonstrate next week.
The MP and his constituents are unhappy, following reports of the killing of Albert Donkor who was suspected to be part of a robbery gang.
Amid confusion over how his death occurred, the youth of Nkoranza last week marched to the Police station and confronted the officers on duty which resulted in the death of another person, with several others sustaining various degrees of injuries.
Mr. Agyekum lamented how the Police are not valuing the lives of the young people who have been killed in his constituency.
He said he is meeting with leaders in his constituency to finalise plans to stage a demonstration to demand justice next week, Thursday.
“We as a community are still not happy. We have been asking for Justice and the Justice is not coming so we are advising ourselves and we are going to write to the police and next week we are planning to have another demonstration.
“We want to know how Donkor was killed and we want the whole world to know,” Hon. Emmanuel Agyekum indicated.
Meanwhile, four people arrested for taking part in the protest against the Police last week have been remanded into Police custody for two weeks. They were arraigned on Friday.
In another development, the family of the late Albert Donkor has reportedly rejected his corpse, calling for justice first.
According to them, they cannot take the body of their 27-year-old son until they get justice. The family has stated that they are ready to seek justice at the International Court if they do not get justice in Ghana.
An uncle of the deceased, Mr. Augustine Donyina, said that the late Donkor was never a criminal.
According to him, his nephew was killed because the police officers were scared that he (Albert Donkor) would expose the p officers who were a involved in robberies at Nkoranza,
According to the Uncle, Albert Donkor told them that one of the police officers who was involved in the robbery lived with his family there but fled when the incident happened.
“We want to see the police officers that picked Albert Donkor punished since he died in their custody. We do not want to see the body of Albert Donkor until we get justice,” he said.
