Eight more suspected killers of Major Mahama arraigned

Eight people including a pregnant woman and a nursing mother are the latest suspects to be sent to the Accra Central District Court for their alleged involvement in the murder of Major Maxwell Adam Mahama at Denkyira Obuasi.

The eight individuals are Akwasi Baah, Solomon Sackey, Kwame Agyei, Joseph Appiah Kubi, Michael Kumah, Akwasi Asante, Akosua Takyiwaa and Esther Dauda.

All of them have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder and murder during their appearance at the court yesterday.

So far, 52 people, including eight women, are before the Accra Central District Court and the Cape Coast District Court for the murder of the military officer.

Seven of them, including the assembly member of Denkyira Obuasi, William Baah, have been remanded by the Cape Coast District Court with the rest being remanded by the Accra Central District Court.

Investigations

During the hearing yesterday, the prosecutor, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr George Amegah, prayed the court to remand the eight to enable the police to conduct further investigations into the case.

According to him, the police were still looking for other suspects in relation to the murder and the remand of the eight accused could help the police in that regard.

The court presided over by Mr Ebenezer Kweku Ansah, remanded the eight in police custody and adjourned the case to June 21, 2017.

He, however, directed the police to bring positive results on the investigations to the court on June 21, 2017, and also respect the rights of the accused persons.

Facts

The facts, as presented by DSP Amegah, were that Captain Mahama was the Commander of a military detachment stationed at Diaso in the Upper Denkyira West District in the Central Region to check illegal mining activities.

At 8 a.m. on May 29, 2017, Captain Mahama, wearing civilian clothes but with his sidearm, left his detachment base for a 20-kilometre jogging.
Inspector Apiosornu said at 9:25 a.m., the military officer got to the outskirts of Denkyira-Obuasi, where a number of women were selling foodstuffs by the roadside.

He stopped to interact with the women and even bought some snails, which he left in their custody to be taken upon his return from jogging.

While he was taking out money from his pocket to pay for the snails, the woman from whom he had bought the snails and a few others saw Captain Mahama’s sidearm tucked to his waist.

Soon after he left, one of the women telephoned the assembly member for Denkyira Obuasi to report what they had seen.

“Without verifying the information, the assembly member mobilised the eight accused persons and others, some now at large, to attack the military officer,’’ the prosecutor said.

The mob met Captain Mahama near the Denkyira Obuasi cemetery and, without giving him the opportunity to explain and identify himself, “attacked him with implements such as clubs, cement blocks and machetes, killed him and burnt a portion of his body,” DSP Amegah told the court.