Residents of Ghana’s second biggest city of Kumasi are outraged at the reported death of a man in police cells.
The 52-year-old man identified as Boaza Tongo, according to local media died in police custody in a town called Tafo-Pankrono.
Tongo was reportedly detained by the police last month after a swoop on some communities known for drug peddling activities.
The family of the deceased is suspecting foul play and have accused the police of negligence.
A family spokesperson told Starr FM in Accra that “We are asking that in the arrest of the guy, has procedure and law been followed?
The police told us yesterday (Sunday) that when they arrested our brother, they sent him to court. But which of the family members were there to witness that their family member had been arrested?”
The family spokesperson also revealed that the police “told us again that they sent him to the hospital. We want to know which hospital did they send him. Can they produce the folder that really shows that they really sent him to the hospital”.
Police deny foul play
The Police have denied allegations that the 52-year-old man died in their custody.
“The deceased who happened to be in custody, having himself involved in narcotic issue did not die in police custody. He died while receiving treatment in the Tafo Government Hospital,” Corporal Prince Dogbatse of the Ashanti Regional Police Command told Starr FM on Monday.
“In fact, he was not arrested alone, it was a swoop that was conducted, and he was part of those that were arrested, so indeed they were supposed to have appeared before the court today, except for this unfortunate incident, in which we sympathize with the relatives,” he added.
Suspect should have been medically scanned
A Security analyst in Ghana, Adam Bonah said keeping the suspect in police custody for more than 48hours was unconstitutional.
He said the police should have run a medical check up on the suspect after his arrest.
“When a swoop is conducted, under such circumstance, what some of us within the security space, or have knowledge within the security space, says is that, when you arrest these people, kindly take them to the hospital, get them scanned.
“Because some of these persons, if indeed they are dealing in narcotics, the moment you attempt to arrest them they would ingest some of these narcotic drugs, so the longer you keep them in your custody, and if there is a leak of a sort into their internal organs, they will pass on,” he told Starr FM
Police have in the past been accused of brutalities including deaths of suspects in their custody. In some communities residents have reacted violently to such alleged police brutalities.
Source: Africafeeds.com
