Former president John Agyekum Kufuor has condemned the high rate of lynching which is commonly known as mob injustice around the country.
Kufuor’s assertion follows the lynching of a military officer Major Maxwell Mahama a week ago at Denkyira-Oboase in the Upper West Denkyira District of the Central region and two others in other parts of the country. The army commander, according to police account, was allegedly mistaken as a brigand.
Kufuor described his demise as a “sad one and a tragic incident.” According to him, the public has no right to mete out instant justice and must respect institutions empowered to enforce the laws.
“The death of Captain Mahama was a sad one and a tragic incident. He was an asset to the country but he was brutally lynched, but that’s not the only incident of lawlessness. There have been recorded cases all around the country. This is not what we want for the country, it’s a dent on our image. We need to learn to be law-abiding,” Kufuor told Accra-based UTV.
He advised the public to always resort to the police when they suspect cases of infractions.
Kufuor noted: “We are a democratic State and so we have laws that govern us. No one is above the law, not even the president. If there is someone you identify to have gone against the laws report the person to the police and then he will be processed. If he is found guilty, the Courts will also do what is required of them. We need to trust the institutions to work.”
Late Major Mahama was brutally lynched and charred to death a week ago after he was allegedly mistaken for an armed robber.
He was with the 5 Infantry Battalion of the Ghana Armed Forces, Burma Camp Accra but on detachment duties at Denkyira Obuasi in the Central region where he was gruesomely murdered by residents there. As at June 5, the Ghana Police Service announced the arrest of 42 persons in connection with the horrendous murder. They have been arraigned in court and currently on remand.
Mahama who will be buried on Friday was posthumously promoted from Captain to Major by President Akufo-Addo on the recommendation of the Chief of Defence Staff, Lt. Gen. O.B Akwa.
