Police Council Gives Cheques To Five Families

The Police Council has presented cheques to the families of victims of the Dansoman and the Kotobabi shooting incidents in April and May last year.

The sums paid, which were based on the recommendation of the Justice J.C. Amonoo-Monney Committee, are to cover the funeral and other expenses incurred on the victims.

The committee was set up by the government to investigate the shooting of five innocent persons at two separate incidents at Dansoman and Kotobabi both Accra suburbs last year.

The five families are the Opoku Family, the Dapaah Family, the Awiti Family, the Nartey Family and the Malam Musah Family.

They were each presented with cheques to cover the funeral cost and other expenses incurred during the interment of the victims.

The actual amount of money received by each family was not disclosed but sources indicated that it was substantial to cover all expenses incurred.

An amount of money which Lydia Opoku, one of the victims of the Dansoman shooting, was carrying at the time of the incident has also been paid to her family.

The Minister of the Interior, Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, who presented the cheques to the families at a short but impressive ceremony at the Police Headquarters in Accra, said after the committee had presented its report, the government gave directives that the recommendations be followed.

He said the Attorney-General's Department was currently working on the compensation which would be given to the families very soon.

For his part, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Patrick K. Acheampong, said certain incidents occurred last year in which some people lost their lives.

He said a committee was set up and it came out with recommendations that something should be given to the families to cater for their funeral expenses.

The IGP thanked the good people of Ghana and the families of the victims for their patience and support during the difficult times.

Mr Francis Dadzie, who represented the Opoku and Dapaah families, expressed his appreciation to the government for the gesture and thanked the Police Administration for their support.

Mr Wilson Nartey of Modern Ghana Builders, who represented the Nartey Family, thanked the government for being sensitive to their plight.

Mr Yakubu Adamu, a representative of the Malam Musah Family and a member of the Awiti Family both expressed satisfaction at the way the government had handled the issue.

In the early hours of Friday, April 21, 2006 the police in Dansoman, in response to calls of armed robbery attacks at Dansoman, opened fire on alleged robbers in a Tico Daewoo taxi, with registration number GR 2995 X, resulting in the death of four persons.

The deceased were identified as Kwadwo Awiti, 29, Malam Musah, 30, Lydia Opoku, 42, and Ataa Boatemaa, 38.

With regard to the Kotobabi incident, the police, in the early hours of May 19, 2006, shot and killed Isaac Tettey Nartey, 26, a fashion designer, on suspicion that he was a member of a robbery gang which had snatched an Opel taxi, with registration number GR 4784 U.

Following public outcry, a five-member committee, chaired by Mr Justice J. C. Amonoo-Monney, was set up by the government to investigate the two shooting incidents.

The committee said both incidents were unlawful and most unprofessional.

After presenting its report, the government directed the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice and the Police Council to work out adequate compensation for the families of the persons killed in the Dansoman and the Kotobabi shooting incidents.