MP For Nkoranza South Gives Blow By Blow Account On Death Of Suspect In Police Custody

The Nkoranza South Member of Parliament, Emmanuel Agyekum has given a blow-by-blow account of how a 28-year-old trader died while in Police custody.

Albert Akwasi Donkor, who is a footballer and digital television installer, is said to have been picked up from his Nkoranza South home by armed officers at 2:00am on April 24, 2022 in an unregistered vehicle on an anti-armed robbery operation.

The MP while narrating the incident on Top Story, Monday alleged that Albert was killed four hours after he was picked up by the armed Police officers.

He added that after the suspect was murdered, the Police took his body to the Techiman Holy Family mortuary.

According to him, he has accounts and evidence to prove his allegations.

“In fact, Albert was killed within three to four hours after he was picked up. I am telling you the truth, that within four hours from 2:00am to about 5:00am they had finished him and they took him to the mortuary in Techiman Holy Family and they refused to take the body because they needed a family member to sign for the body. I have all these accounts if they want to deny, they should come and deny.

“So the young man was picked from his house, he was taken to the Police station, his statement was taken, if only it has not been doctored now or they have not changed it, they took him somewhere and the boy was finished,” he narrated.

He said “they have the people who wrote his statement, they have everybody and they are all there. In fact, most of them who were stationed in Nkoranza have all run away. Find out if they are still at home.”

Mr. Agyekum also disclosed how the Police were silent on the issue and did not open up about the death of Albert until after three weeks before they were told about the sad news.

“Since April 25 and they are turning us up and down. They say go to Techiman, go to Nkoranza, go to Kintampo and go to Accra. They just wrote a paper to the mother to go to the Police Intelligence Unit in Accra with your son’s picture to see if he is there then that is when I went to the Police Intelligence Unit that was where they told me that actually, this is what we do here so I called the family to tell them if this is the case then I think we have a problem here and that is where they managed to tell us that the boy is dead,” the MP said.

The MP noted there were two Policemen who saw the suspect thirty minutes before the alleged robbery took place.

“I will also give you a clue, maybe they will change in the future. There are also two Policemen who saw Albert about twenty or thirty minutes before the robbery incident. Probably one day they will say they did not say, but they are there if they are not scared. One Police inspector and one youth Police officer. We have the evidence and so are waiting for them to come out with their statement,” he said.

Mr. Agyekum further said the family has since contacted a lawyer to take up the matter while some human rights organisations, the Interior Minister and the Inspector General of Police have been petitioned on the matter.

He said the family will ensure that all is done to get justice for the murder of Albert Akwasi Donkor.

“We are doing our best to make sure Albert, at least, wherever he is now knows there is justice and not that kind of barbaric policing,” he added.

The Police have since not commented on the matter.

Police sources had told the family the deceased was hit by a bullet by a supposed member of an armed robbery gang when the victim was leading them to other accomplices.

But residents, including the family, say Albert may have been targeted after he chanced on a robbery scene involving some Police officers.

He is said to have divulged information on the alleged robbery to some friends, only to be picked up by Police the next day.

Albert is a breadwinner who takes care of the family of ten from his ice water, secondhand shoe and digital television installation business; his mother, Comfort Gyameah, told JoyNews.

Meanwhile, the family of the 28-year-old trader says it will not relent in its pursuit of justice for their relative.

Speaking to JoyNews’ Ohemeng Tawiah, family spokesperson and an uncle, Rev Dr. Mathias Sarkodie, said they have written to the Inspector General of Police and the President to ensure justice is served.

“As a family, we have taken the matter up to the High Court in Accra for us to get justice for Albert. In addition, we have written to the IGP, the Interior Ministry, and the President.

“So we think the Judiciary plus the Executive would come together to give Justice to Albert,” he said.

“We want to use Albert’s incident to put a halt to some of these incidences. When they picked him, they thought Albert was nobody…as a family, we wanted to seek justice for Albert and get this issue halted in the country to live peacefully. We don’t know the next person they are targeting, and so we have to use this as an opportunity to redress the issue,” he added.