In Memory Of Capt. Maxwell Mahama; Another Bloodshed By The ‘Righteous’

I am only terrified and sad; but not surprised that another blood has been shed. Do we want to pretend we are unaware of these reckless and inhumane deaths commonly referred to as instant-justice? It is only a matter of days; and the rest of us will move on with our lives, the media will probably discuss it for a week or two, and the only people left in trauma, would the poor young widow of the late officer and his children.

I don’t mean to remind anyone of pain; but have we not forgotten already that on a certain June 3rd, we lost close to 200 lives. Human beings were packed like fish from harvest at the back of cars; but oh, even the fish is of great use.

Of what use is a dead man? We cried and did our worst in the name of mourning, but don’t we still choke the drains with rubbish? What kind of human beings are we turning into?

It is really funny how we cry and make so much noise, only when such atrocities are fresh and it ends there; till when?

So level-headed human beings actually watched and took pictures and videos of even the naked corpse, and shared them on social media, but could not get the police to save him? What is wrong with us?

This is the level of lawlessness professor Yaw Frimpong (Dean of the Faculty of Law –UPSA) spoke about in his piece “ THE PROBLEM IS NOTGALAMSEY BUT LAWLESSNESS . We have thrown manners and values to the dogs.

I remember vividly in a hostel in Adabraka in Accra where I once lodged as a student; a young man almost lynched budged into our room of three ladies at about 8:00pm.

Apparently I was naked; but staring at his figure, and seeing him almost dead; I was that shocked that I forgot I just came from the bathroom and had undressed.

It took my roommate who was equally terrified to tell me I was naked; I mean it was that bad.

In a matter of seconds, the ‘self-righteous’ ones trooped in with their cutlasses, hot iron, logs and all manner of metals, searching for the ‘devil’ to kill. His crime? He was caught stealing a phone. I locked this man inside our room alone and started calling the police. All these while our compound was packed with men and boys alike numbering more than fifty. It was a heavy search.

I called the police for over an hour and they never answered. It took my roommate’s father in Tamale to reach to one police division in Accra before they called that they were coming; and it was almost another hour before they arrived. Then the hostel warden had threatened me to hand over our room key or be named as accomplice to a crime. But I also warned her that if the man is killed, I will make sure the hostel is sued for murder.

However, the Youngman was fortunate that his church members came to his rescue before even the police came. Well; he later confessed he committed the crime; but must he be killed there and then? And then what? We are not in the jungle; we have laws.

So those who mete out the instant justice are saints I guess. Oh; before somebody thinks I never faced a robber before, that’s why I am condemning these acts, let me state categorically that I have on three occasions, twice at a knife point, and my phone taken, so I know how it feels to want to take the law into your own hands.

The least said about the police, the better; that is the level of lawlessness the professor talked about. Nothing about the police encourages crime reporting; I have experienced it several times, they delay and frustrate you until you do not want to waste your time anymore.

The painful bit is the trauma that brought you to their outfit only to be humiliated the more; these are reasons people would want to do things their way and keep shedding innocent blood.

Talk of blood, I am aware of what it signifies in almost all the religions, the reason a blood is always shed for sacrifice be it human blood or animal blood. So if we keep shedding innocent blood, we must know that they speak. Yes they do; and whatever they speak will affect the very people who shed it down to those who do not even have a link in anyway.

If we think the solution is raining curses and insulting those who commit the atrocity, we may want to reconsider our strategy; the law MUST work.

What this country is turning into is not a joke anymore. For a lynching process to start and end without police intervention is enough proof that some people are not doing their work.

I am very much sure that somebody among the killers tried calling the police to no avail. The countries that are buried in war and ruins didn’t just wake up to it. It started from someone’s negligence; I pray this write-up gets to the presidency.

His Excellency, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo, if you are hearing the cries of like-minded Ghanaians like me, kindly save this country from this canker.

Please, whatever you do people will criticize; but you still have to take some radical actions.

I know the 1992 constitution empowers you enough, so please call the police to order. They are the root cause of this canker, God bless, strengthen and keep you as you lead His people.

May the soul of the departed rest in perfect peace; every death is painful; but more painful to watch your very kind take your very life.

I want to express my deepest condolence to the bereaved family and for the rest of us, let us pray for our very lives and generations yet unborn for every shed blood speaks.

The Writer Is At The Office of the HOD, Public Relations, University of Professional Studies, Accra. Email: [email protected]