Six persons including three police officers have been remanded for torturing, killing and burying a 48-year-old Abu Bukari Gbahara, who was a suspect in their custody.
On Wednesday, the Sunyani Circuit Court presided over by Jojo Hagan, remanded the accused persons into prison custody.
The six were slapped with murder charges contrary to section 23 (1) and 46 of the Criminal Offenses Act, 1960 (Act 29).
The cops are Constable Ebenezer Akuffo, 24; Corporal Williams Akussung, 38 and 48-year-old Chief Inspector Eric Aforo.
All three police officers are stationed at Seikwa police station in the Bono Region.
The three others are 22-year-old Reuben Obeng and 21-year-old Aaron Abbey, both security guards and Emmanuel Ofori Kingsford, 59, a banker at Nkoranman Rural Bank.
The prosecutor, Superintendent Joseph Apaloo said an autopsy conducted on the body of the deceased person by Dr Ernest K. Adjei, a senior specialist pathologist from Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, revealed the cause of death as “chest injury and blunt trauma to the chest”.
He said the pathologist concluded that the detainee died of unnatural causes.
Facts
On April 16, at about 6 pm, Abu, now deceased, was arrested and sent to the Seikwa police station by Emmanuel Ofori, the bank manager, and the two security guards for damages caused to the rear windscreen of his Toyota Highlander vehicle with registration number AS 2000 X.
The suspect allegedly resisted and was subjected to beatings before he was handed to the police.
He was allegedly beaten and handcuffed to a pillar at the station when he continued to resist.
The station officer, Chief Inspector Eric Aforo allegedly directed that he should be kept overnight.
On Saturday, April 17, the station officer noticed that the suspect had defecated on himself and littered the premises with human excreta.
The station officer instructed Constable Ebenezer Akuffo and Corporal Williams Akussung to release the suspect to clean the place.
Per the facts, on the same day, around 12:10 noon, the suspect collapsed and the officers rushed him to the Seikwa Health Center for treatment, but he was pronounced clinically dead on arrival by the staff on duty.
The chief inspector and the other officers then took the body and buried the 48-year-old farmer at the Seikwa public cemetery.
The deceased was assumed to be a pauper since his relatives were not immediately known.
The three police officers, on April 18, realising that they had breached procedures and sensing danger, exhumed the body and deposited it at Best Care Mortuary, Mantukwa, on the Berekum Sunyani road.
The case was transferred to the Regional Police CID in Sunyani on April 21, and the officers were subsequently interdicted on April 23.
The accused persons were arrested on Monday, April 26 and are assisting in investigations.
The security guards admitted to slapping the deceased many times.
Emmanuel Ofori also admitted he tried slapping him at the police station but could not reach him because the deceased was behind the counter, and Constable Ebenezer Akuffo admitted using a small cane to hit his hand.
Corporal Williams Akussung and Chief Inspector Eric Aforo denied any involvement in the alleged torture.
All six are expected to reappear on May 11, 2021.
