3 Denkyira Obuasi Suspect Arrested

Solomon Sackey

One of the men suspected to have taken part in the lynching of Major Maxwell Mahama at Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region about a week ago has been arrested at Bogoso in the Western Region.

The suspect, identified as Solomon Sackey, was nabbed on Sunday, June 4, 2017 at about 9:00 am.

This brings to eight, the total number of suspects who have been rounded up in the Western Region in connection with the killing of the army officer, and on the whole 44 arrests have been made.

It would be recalled that six residents of Denkyira-Obuasi, who were allegedly found in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality after the gruesome murder of Major Mahama, were apprehended.

One more person, believed to be involved in the murder, was also detained by the police at Sefwi Dwinase in the Sefwi Wiawso Municipality of the Western Region.

Major Mahama was lynched by some residents of Denkyira-Obuasi when he was allegedly mistaken for a armed robber.

Solomon Sackey, 29, allegedly reported himself to the Bogoso Police at about 9:00 am yesterday.

Chief Inspector Foster Berko, officer in-charge of Bogoso Police Station, who confirmed the arrest to journalists, asserted that the suspect had been detained.

He said Solomon Sackey indicated that he was a carpenter at Denkyira-Obuasi and that he had to run to lodge with a friend at Bogoso since he took part in the lynching of the Major (then Captain).

The station officer indicated that his outfit had gathered that four other suspects from Denkyira-Obuasi were still hiding in the Prestea-Bogoso-Huni Valley District.

2 Arrested In Ashanti
The two suspects arrested in the Ashanti Region were allegedly picked up at Nyinahin on Monday afternoon.

Forty-one suspects, including six women, arrested earlier, are currently on remand having been provisionally charged with murder.

The arrested persons were spotted in a recorded video playing various roles in the lynching of the soldier, who was posted to command the military detachment based at Diaso, the district capital.

Deputy Head of Public Affairs of the Ghana Police Service, DSP Shiela Buckman, told DAILY GUIDE that the police had heard of the arrest from the Ashanti Region but they were yet to receive their details.

“We have asked that they bring the suspects to Accra to be remanded but we cannot confirm for now if they are linked to the crime,” the spokeswoman said.

She said if evidence showed that they were among the soldier's killers, then they would also be taken to court to be remanded while investigations still continue.

Major Maxwell Adam Mahama was the commander of a military detachment stationed at Diaso in the Upper Denkyira West District of the Central Region to check the activities of galamseyers (illegal miners).

On Monday, May 29, 2017, at about 8:00 am, the army officer left the detachment base for a 20-kilometer jogging.

At about 9:25 am, he reportedly got to the outskirts of Denkyira-Obuasi where a number of women were selling food items by the roadside.

He stopped to interact with the women and even bought some snails which he left with the women so that he could pick them on his return from the jogging.

While he was taking the money from his pocket to pay for the snails, the woman from whom he bought the snails and a few others saw his sidearm tucked on his waist and soon after he had left, one of the women reportedly telephoned the assemblyman of the area, William Baah, to report what she had seen.

Without verifying the information, William Baah, who is also in police custody, allegedly mobilized the town folks to prepare to attack a suspected armed robber who had been sighted by the traders on the outskirt of the town.

The suspects met the military man near the Denkyira-Obuasi cemetery and without giving him the opportunity to identify himself, attacked him with weapons such as clubs, concrete blocks and machetes, and burnt part of his body.

By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey & Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi