Islamic Scholar Says Police Has More Questions To Answer Over Killings

A renowned Islamic scholar and the Imam of the Darul Hadith Institute of Islamic Studies in Kumasi, Sheikh Anas Tawfiq Ibrahim Al-Bakri, has said the killing of seven young men by police in the Ashanti Region cannot be left to rest since the police have more questions to answer on the incident.

He described the incident as a national security threat if government fails to address such issues that borders on the protection of citizens.

Some youth in the Asawase constituency earlier this week staged violent protests in reaction to the killing of seven young men in the area.

They said the young men were not armed robbers as the police claimed in its report. The Police announced on Tuesday that seven out of the eight suspected robbers, whose attack reportedly led to the death of a Police Officer with the SWAT unit of the Ashanti Regional Police Command, had been gunned down after a gun battle.

But families of some of the deceased persons have disputed the claims of the police. The families have suggested that the police wrongfully killed their “innocent” relatives, and framed them up with guns to portray them as robbers.

Addressing a press conference in a packed mosque at Aboabo in Kumasi, Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Bakri indicated that the police have deviated from their code of conduct that states that all suspects should be treated as innocent persons in a polite, respectful and professional manner.

“Again, if the police can kill a human being in such a horrible manner, what shows they can't deviate from the truth, because information reaching us about the number of bullets each of the deceased sustained is very gruesome”?

“The Police Commander in his press briefing claims the deceased are known armed robbers, known he said. So we want him to tell us the cases of which the deceased have been implicated by bringing the person they have robbed, what they stole, the harm or assault they caused to the person they stole from or the people who tried to prevent them from stealing. Until this is proven, we still hold our stance that they are not armed robbers, and all we need is justice”, he dared.

The scholar further said the death of the young men has thrown the entire Zongo communities in Ghana in a state of mourning and grief.

He maintained that until the police provide convincing answers to the unanswered questions that are still on the minds of the bereaved families and other well-meaning Ghanaians, the police officers who engaged in the shootings cannot be exonerated.

Sheik Al-Bakri called on the Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Minister for National Security, Minister of Interior, Minister of Defense and the Minister for Inner Cities and Zongo Development, to ensure that justice and equity prevail in all matters involving the ordinary Ghanaian citizen, and the recent killing by the police.

“No citizen is superior to the other, and therefore all matters involving the Ghanaian citizen should be devoid of discrimination irrespective of religion, ethnicity, sex and social status. All we demand in this case is justice for our brothers,” he stressed.

He advised the youth to desist from using violent means in seeking justice.

He also called on the bereaved families to exercise restraint and allow the law to take its course.

He urged the family to seek legal redress despite government's announcement of setting up an independent committee to investigate the matter.

The Darul Hadith Institute of Islamic Studies has begun raising funds to support the bereaved families and has also called on other organizations to do same.