Police deny involvement of Minister's bodyguard in killings

Ho, Dec. 15, GNA - The Volta Regional Police Command on Tuesday denied that the bodyguard of the Volta Regional Minister, Mr Kwasi Owusu-Yeboa was involved in a shooting incident at Kwamikrom on December 6, in which two people were killed.

This was in reaction to allegations to that effect made by Dr Obed Asamoah, Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at a Press Conference in Accra on Monday.

Isaac Otchere and Harry Amoah were said to have died and five others were injured in the incident, which allegedly resulted from a melee involving a group of supporters of the NDC from Nkonya-Ahenkro. Mr Kofi Duku Arthur, Volta Regional Police Commander, briefing the media in Ho on the incident said the Regional Minister's bodyguard, "who is a Policeman, uses AK 47 and a Pistol which uses bullets and not pellets" as those found on the body of the dead.

He said investigations indicated that unidentified persons who were now being sought by the Police fired the shots.

Mr Arthur said around noon on Monday December 6, about 70 youths from Nkonya-Ahenkro who were on a 33 seater Benz bus and an Urvan Bus en-route to Jasikan to present a petition to the District Chief Executive on alleged electoral offences stopped over at Kwamikrom to present a copy of the petition to the Kwamikrom Police.

According to Mr Arthur, the group alleged that the Regional Minister, Mr Owusu-Yeboa and his campaign manager, Mr Lawrence Kwabena Affum were thumb-printing ballot papers in Mr Affum's house in Kwamikrom.

Mr Arthur said the group in red attire and red bands singing war songs later got involved in a "commotion" in front of Mr Affum's house. He said policemen who went to verify what was happening saw them throwing stones and destroying property in Mr Affum's house. ,

Mr Arthur said Mr Owusu-Yeboa, who had spent the night in Mr Affum's house had left town by 0500 hours and was no where near Kwamikrom when the incident took place.

He said reinforcement from the Nkonya and Alavanyo operations grounds was called in to help bring the situation under control. Mr Arthur said later police were informed that there was a shooting incident behind the Lorry Park, which was about 100 metres from Mr Affum's house.

He said seven people who were wounded were sent to the Margaret Marquart Hospital at Kpando and Worawora Hospital. Mr Arthur said Otchere died on the way to the Margaret Marquart Hospital while Amoah who was referred to the Volta Regional Hospital in Ho, died a day after the incident.

He said eight pellets found on Otchere's body were suspected to have been fired from a shot gun.

With Mr Arthur at the Press Briefing were Mr Mohammed Adams, Deputy Volta Regional Police Commander, Mr Clarkson Kpingbi, Volta Regional Police Crime Officer, Mr Moses Segu, Worawora District Police Commander, Mr Felix Anyidoho, Crime Officer Hohoe District and Mr Jerome Kanyog, Staff Officer at the Regional Police Headquarters. 15 Dec. 04