Francis Tetteh Botchway before he was shot
Families of the two persons, who were allegedly killed at Miotso, near Tema, by police personnel from the regional command, have appealed to the government to ensure that the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) brings those culpable to justice.
Francis Tetteh Botchway, 67, and Mohammed Dziwornu, 29, were allegedly murdered in broad daylight at Miotso by a purported team of five policemen from the Tema Regional Police Command on December 29, 2016.
The deaths reportedly resulted from a gun battle over a piece of land. Six other persons sustained various degrees of injury.
The Tema Police retrieved two pump action guns, a pistol, one loaded AK 47 rifle with double magazine, Jeep Cherokee and Mercedes Benz cars.
The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) at the police headquarters took over investigations into the shooting incident, which occurred in the Ningo-Prampram District, but the law enforcers are yet to arrest and prosecute any suspect.
According to the families, some police officers involved in the killing of their relatives, including some purported land guards, whose names were mentioned as Jake Badu and Martey Makoko, are walking freely in the town, posing threat to them.
The family recently petitioned the IGP, David Asante-Apeatu, to institute investigation into the incident and bring those culpable to justice.
Lawyer for the families, Gary Nimako Marfo, who submitted the petition, recalled at a press conference that on December 29, 2016, some known young people entered Miotso wielding guns and shooting into the air, causing pandemonium.
He said armed policemen on board a Toyota Tundra with registration number GP 3979, according to an eyewitness account, were called in but unfortunately, they entered a structure that one of the victims, Botchway, was constructing.
According to him, the policemen allegedly shouted at Botchway to lie down, following which they shot him repeatedly in the back of the head at about 9:30 am.
“As if that was not enough, a mason who saw that act by the officers was also shot to conceal witnesses,” he said.
He articulated with shock that in spite of the fact that the issue was reported to the Tema Regional Police Command and subsequently transferred to the Homicide Unit at the police headquarters, none of the policemen had been arrested.
Mr. Marfo believed that “it appears without doubt that those policemen are being shielded from prosecution.”
He expressed shock that on the arrest of the young men who were rioting at Miotso, they were only charged with possession of firearms when, in fact, they had been seen firing shots.
According to Mr. Marfo, “It is interesting to point out that these people have been discharged at the district court. It appears very clearly that the investigative process is very porous and same has been carefully designed to undermine the truth being unearthed.
“We are, therefore, calling on your high office to cause a thorough investigation into the death of the two persons and other related matters in the interest of peace and security at Miotso.”
Some residents of the area are threatening reprisal attack, if the government and the police for that matter, fail to bring the perpetrators of the crime to book.
They said, “All that we are calling for is the police officers and the land guards who allegedly committed the murders be made to face the full rigors of the law as any ordinary citizen or suspect.”
Some policemen at the scene during the murder
The late Francis Tetteh Botchway at the scene of the crime.
From Vincent Kubi, Tema
