Ghana: Police Handed Mobila to the Army With No Bruise – Witness Tells Court

Ivy Benson

21 July 2011

The Accra Fast Track Court (FTC), hearing a case in which two soldiers are accused of murdering Alhaji Issa Mohammed, also known as Issa Mobila, the former Northern Regional Chairman of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), was yesterday told that the deceased person left the premises of the Tamale Regional Police Headquarters with no marks of violence or bruises on any part of his body.

A Detective Inspector Anthony Kwaku Kupor, who was giving evidence before the court, presided over by Justice Mustapha Habib Logoh, noted that he was among two other police personnel, who were detailed to take Mobila, who was also the then Chairman of the Tamale/Bolgatanga branch of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) to the Kamina Barracks to be detained.

According to witness, Mobila moved from the charge office of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Tamale bare-chested, wearing a pair trouser, as a thorough examination on him revealed no bruises on his body, before he was taken to the Army barracks in Tamale.

It was the claim of Detective Inspector Kupor, who was at the time a Detective Sergeant that Mobila walked briskly from the charge office and entered the police vehicle himself, and was handed over to the arm personnel on duty at the barracks in a fit condition and appearance, before he and his colleagues left the barracks.

Cpl. Appiah Yaw, Private Modzaka Eric and Private Seth Gokah are facing two counts of conspiracy and murder of Issa Mobila. Cpl. Appiah Yaw and Private Modzaka Eric pleaded not guilty to all the charges leveled against them, however, Private Seth Gokah had been declared “Absent Without Official Leave” (AWOL) by the 1st Infantry Battalion (1BN) at Michel Camp, where the accused persons were held at a military installation after being transferred from the Tamale High Court, where they were previously standing trial.

Led-in-evidence by Mrs. Merley Woode, Chief State Attorney, Detective Inspector Kupor, told the court that on December 9, 2004, he was on duty at the Regional CID office in Tamale, when a message came to the Regional Crime Officer that Mobila, who was then in the custody of the police, should be taken to the Kamina Barracks.

Witness noted that the Regional Crime Officer had informed him that the Army Commander at the barracks knew about the transfer and he had instructed his men to take custody of Mobila, when he taken there.

Detective Inspector Kupor told the court that he and two other police officers were instructed to take Mobila to the army barracks, and when the team got to the entrance of the barracks, they were interrogated, and they responded that they had been instructed to bring Mobila to the barracks.

Witness noted that he and his colleagues were led into the guard room, together with Mobila, where they met the three accused persons on duty, adding that Cpl. Appiah Yaw, who was the leader of the team on duty at the guard room, made Mobila to squat, immediately he was introduced to him.

Inspector Kupor further indicated that he was directed to see the Warrant Officer (WO) at the barracks, and after contacting him, he accompanied him to the guard room, where Mobila was still squatting, but ordered him to stand.

Witness then told the court that after the WO examined the body of Mobila and noticed no bruises on his body, and then instructed the team at the guard room to accept him, adding that he left with the WO, while two of his other colleagues stood by to complete the entries of transfer of Mobila to the Kamina Barracks.

Inspector Kupor then indicated that his two other colleagues left in the guard room, later joined him in the police vehicle and they drove off to the CID office.

However, witness noted that he reported for duty the next day, December 10th, 2004, at 8.00am, the then station officer, Detective Chief Inspector Ladzekpor informed me of the death of Mobila, while in custody at the Kamina Barracks, and that the soldiers had taken the corpse to the Tamale Teaching Hospital morgue.

According to the witness, his boss instructed that he and some other police should go the hospital morgue and verify the veracity of the information they received.

His team, witness noted, went to the morgue and found out that it was true, and on examining the corpse, found multiple marks or violence and bruises on Mobila’s body, and returned to the CID office and reported back to authorities on the state in which they found Mobila.

Witness indicated that the soldiers came to the CID office in the afternoon of that same day to report the death of Mobila, adding on December 11th, 2004, he together with three other police officers, including the police photographer, went to the Hospital morgue and the photographer took pictures of the corpse from all angles, after which the team returned to the office.

In cross-examination from Mr. Thaddeaus Sory, leader of the defense team, Inspector Kupor indicated that he appeared before a commission of enquiry that looked into the murder of Mobila and further insisted that Private Modzaka Eric was on duty, when he and his colleagues arrived at the guard room with Mobila. Hearing continues on July 28, 2011.

The facts of the case are that the accused persons were on duty at the Kamina Barracks at Tamale, in the Northern Region, the deceased, who was in their custody died. Issa Mobila had surrendered himself to the police in Tamale, when he got information from his wife that the police were looking for him.

The police had on December 9 2004, had gone to his house to arrest him for suspecting that he had supplied the youth with guns and ammunitions the previous day to cause mayhem in the heat of political campaigning in the region.

The deceased was then arrested and detained in respect of a gun-firing incidence in the late hours of December 8, 2004, at Werizehi, a suburb of Tamale.

The police further impounded a BMW car with registration number GR 2772 Q belonging to the deceased, and conducted a search on him and his residence, but found nothing incriminating.

The court was told that subsequently, the police had information that the youth were going to besiege the police station for the possible release of Issa Mobila, as a result of which, during a meeting of the Regional Security Council, a decision was taken to transfer the then Convention People’s Party (CPP) Regional Chairman to the Military at Kamina Barracks for safekeeping.

The prosecution alleged before the court that the police handed over the deceased at about 3:00 p.m. fit and sound, to the Military at Kamina Barracks.

However, Issa Mobilla was taken to the Medical Reception Station (MRS) of the barracks at about 8:00 p.m., with evidence of violent attacks all over his body. He was later pronounced dead.

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