The families of the three young men from Yorogo who were killed last week under bizarre circumstances are appealing to the Minister for the Interior and Inspector General of Police (IGP) to constitute an independent committee of inquiry to investigate the circumstances that led to the death of the three.
On June 22, 2017 at about 6:30 pm, James Akuntubego Nsobire was killed in crash about 800 meters away from his residence on the Bolgatanga-Bongo road by Daniel Alhassan Azaah, a Senior Mortuary Attendant at the Upper East Regional Hospital in Bolgatanga. In his bid to escape the wrath of the angered residents of Yorogo where he also hails from, Mr. Azaah fled the scene but the angry residents set his car ablaze.
In a press release issued Tuesday June 27, by the families of Ameseya and Atariburo, they have lost complete trust in the Bolgatanga Municipal Police Command which they believe cannot conduct investigations into the death of the three on neutral grounds.
According to the release, On June 23, when relatives of the deceased went to the Regional Hospital Morgue to claim his body for burial, they spotted the alleged killer of James at post with a bottle of beer to the utter dismay of many who thought killing an individual in a crash warranted at least some level of remorse.
“An argument ensued and Mr. Azaah pulled out a gun threatening to shoot the people around, resulting in some exchange of words. This resulted in the arrest of three of the youth at the hospital, one of them an indigene of Zaare who was merely observing the happenings at the mortuary.”
The release further stated that the Assemblyman Peter Adongo, who was heading home with the corpse, received a phone call that some people had been arrested at the mortuary. He immediately proceeded to the police station to plead for their release. However, the police arrested him too and put him and the three other into police cells.
YOROGO WEEPS!!!
PRESS RLEASE BY THE BEREAVED FAMILIES AND PEOPLE OF YOROGO FOLLOWING THE KILLING OF ONE OF OUR BROTHERS BY ALHASSAN AZAAH THE MORTUARY MAN AND TWO OTHERS BY THE BOLGA POLICE.-DATED TUESDAY 27 JUNE, 2017.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Media, Elders, and people of Yorogo issue this statement on a rather sad note following the death of our brothers.
June 22, 23 and 24 2017 remain very dark days in the history of a once peaceful and fast developing community like Yorogo, a suburb of Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region.
June 22, 2017 at about 6:30 pm, a young man, James Akuntubego Nsobire was killed in crash about 800 meters away from his residence on the Bolga-Bongo road by a Senior Mortuary Attendant, Daniel Alhassan Azaah. The accident was reported to the police after Mr.Azaah had fled the scene.
This was the start of what has come to be tragic for the people of Yorogo who later lost two strong men as things took a turn for the worse on June 23, 2017 when relatives of the deceased went to the Upper East Regional Hospital Morgue to claim the mortal remains of James Nsobire for burial. At the hospital, Daniel Alhassan Azaah was spotted at post with a bottle of beer to the utter dismay of many who thought killing an individual in a crash warranted at least some level of remorse.
An argument ensued and Mr. Azaah pulled out a gun threatening to shoot the people around, resulting in some exchange of words. This resulted in the arrest of three of the youth at the hospital, one of them an indigene of Zaare who was merely observing the happenings at the mortuary.
The Assembly Man Peter Adongo, who was heading home with the corpse, received a call that some people have been arrested at the mortuary, then he immediately proceeded to the police station to plead for their release. The police arrested him upon the arrival of the team of police that had gone to the mortuary together with the other three who were arrested at the mortuary.
When the youth heard about the arrest of the two young men from the community, the youth who were carrying the deceased, made a u-turn to the police station to enquire about the two arrested young men. Below
At the police station, the police fired gun shots to dispel the crowd. The police shot at the crowd hitting Thomas Ameseya and Peter Anaba who were rushed to the hospital by the youth. It will interest you to know that the two were on a motor bike as they were shot.
Back to the two who were shot. Peter who was the pillion rider died between the hours of 2:00am and 3:00am Saturday June 24, 2017. Thomas Ameseya was bleeding profusely and required blood. Some youth donated blood in an attempt to save his life. At about 10:00am Saturday June 24, 2017 he was referred by doctors at the Upper East Regional Hospital to the Tamale Teaching Hospital. Before he was put in the ambulance, Thomas Ameseya looked around with a smile just to see those who were around and only passed the comment “oh I am fine, just that am experiencing pain at the right side of my chest”. This may be seen as where the bullet passed through to the pillion rider. Thomas unfortunately passed on at Nasia on his way to Tamale. Then the ambulance returned to Bolga with the news of his death further doubling the agony of the family and people of Yorogo.
POLICE HANDLING OF THE CASE.
We appreciate the fact that the police are needed in modern day society to help maintain law and order. But in this particular case the police only succeeded in aggravating the situation. Why do we say this?
When the police officer was shot at Tema, the police in a Rambo style killed a suspect and arrested others. But when a civilian is killed the police expect the civilians to organize a party and make Merry as if nothing at all happened even in the case where the law appears to have been thrown to the dogs and now in the hands of the high and mighty.
Now let us ask these questions, had Daniel Alhassan Azaah knocked and killed a police officer, a soldier, a politician or even the son of a politician, will he be out and roaming free and drinking beer in front of grieving people of whom he is the cause of their grieve? We leave the answer to the general public and the security agencies, or like George Owell stated in his book ANIMAL FARM “ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT OTHERS ARE MORE EQUAL”.
Again is the recent crash involving Alhassan and our son James Nsobire who lost his life the first of such kind where the community lost a relation in such a manner? No. In December 2016 one Musah was killed on the spot here in Yorogo there were no such attacks and just two months ago two young men were killed in a similar fashion still in Yorogo, and there were again no attacks. So why Alhassan’s car and an alleged attack leveled against us, which the people of Yorogo are not noted for?
The police statement circulating in the Media only stated that James Nsobire died in an accident but failed to add that Daniel Alhassan was the one who knocked him, why so? On the police statement, we want to know why they made categorical statements that the youth attacked Mr. Alhassan, burnt his car and also indicated that the assembly man organized the people to dump the body at the police station when the case has not been tried at the law court or have the police become the court and can declare suspects guilty?
Did the police tell the public that they arrested an indigene of Zaare who has no clue as to what was going on? But due to their abusive acts at the hospital they arrested the innocent man.
The police claim they fired warning shots and only shot in the air. If it is so, how can warning shots in the air as the police expect us to believe kill Thomas and Peter? Or Were the two flying in the air and were caught up by the bullets since the Police say they only shot in the air?
In our opinion, Daniel Alhassan Azaah should be investigated and further prosecuted just like the police would have done if James was a police officer, soldier, a politician or the son of a politician.
For the two illustrious brothers we have lost courtesy, the police who are supposed to be peace keepers, we want Justice served. The officer must be brought to book.
If this case is allowed to die without justice and injustice allowed, then it goes to confirm how justice now only belongs to the high and mighty.
MALTREATMENT OF OUR ARRESTED BROTHERS.
We witnessed how the police at the mortuary used stones and the butts of their guns to hit our brothers with some police officers heard loudly saying “you people don’t want us to have rest”. Yes we don’t condone wrong doings but must the police maltreat people to an extent that the Assembly Member Peter Adongo was being assaulted by police officers while the police were taking his statement. Again when the people the police arrested and later granted bail demanded for police medical forms to attend hospital after the police physically assaulted them while they were in custody; they were denied medical forms till date. How can the police act in this manner?
CLAIM BY ALHASSAN IN MEDIA REPORTS
The claim by Alhassan in the media reports that the youth entered his house and stole his wife’s money is completely laughable. Who does that? You are going to haunt an elephant then you allow the elephant to walk away while you chase a rat that passed in front of you. Alhassan should bear in mind that not only has he hurt the people of Yorogo but also the people of Nyariga where James Nsobire who he killed in the crash originally hails from.
CONCLUSION
Well, recently Ghanaians were deported from the US and they complained that they were treated like pigs and Ghanaians and Government were livid, but compare someone else treating your people like pigs to the Ghanaians themselves treating each other like snakes. Comparing the two which one is worse?
Well, for us in Yorogo, the only song we can sing now is Lucky Dube’s Life in the Movies. Listen to that song and it tells us about the police who are supposed to be our friends and who they really are in real life.
We will at this point leave this matter in the Hands of our “Tingama”, Akumbusgo Abongo, and Azaare in whose face the blood of James was spilled to find justice for James, Thomas and Peter and the people of Yorogo if they know the people have over the years been loyal to them and show to the world and the people of Yorogo that they exist.
Last but not the least, we wish to appeal to the minister of Interior, the IGP and for that matter the government through the regional police commander and the Upper East Regional Minister to set an independent committee of enquiry to investigate the matter thoroughly since we have lost complete trust that the Bolgatanga Municipal Police Command can conduct investigation into the death of the three on neutral grounds.
Thank You.
Signed..
Dominic Ameseya- Ameseya Family
Adongo Isaac- Spokesperson
Atariburu Agana Jomo- Atariburo Family
