The Lawyer of the family of the late Shadrach Arloo, who died after allegedly being manhandled by some personnel of the Ghana Police Service at West Hills Mall, Francis-Xavier Sosu, has taken a swipe at the Inspector General of Police (IGP) over the police's handling of the investigation into the incident.
According to the lawyer, the Ghana Police Service is refusing to investigate and take action against its own officers whose actions led to the death of Shadrach.
Speaking in an interview with GhanaWeb, Sosu, who is also the Member of Parliament for Madina, said that the police saying that Shadrach swallowed an object which led to his death is immaterial.
He added that the IGP, Dr George Akuffo Dampare, is allowing the case to be brushed aside because he has no value for human life which is why the Arloo family has petitioned the president and other authorities for him to be removed.
“The duty of the Police is the protection of life and property not to destroy them and having destroyed failing to investigate themselves.
“If the Inspector General of Police does not have any respect for human life, does not place any value on human life then I don’t think that he is fit to be there. And that is why we have petitioned his excellency the president that he should be removed immediately… and we are hoping that a series of actions will ensure that he is removed.
“Assuming the one who died was a son of the IGP, is that how he will treat it? Assuming the one who died is a son or a daughter of a police commissioner, assuming the one who died is a son or a daughter of a minister of state or a Member of Parliament is that how the police will behave?” he questioned.
He added that a statement on the death of Shadrack will be read in Parliament after which the House will also decide on probing the circumstances surrounding the young man’s death.
Background
Perpetual Didier, a gospel musician, alleged that some police officers murdered her brother at the West Hills Mall in Accra, on January 30, 2023.
She explained that her 32-year-old brother was brutally assaulted by the uniformed policemen, leading to his untimely death, and for this reason, she wanted the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to act.
“Someone should tag the IGP. I need justice for my brother. Tell him that this is a crime one of his men has done to my family by killing my brother. We are all Ghanaians with equal rights and freedom. Why will you use your position to take someone’s life?” she said in her Facebook Live video, amidst tears.
The police, after their investigation on the death of Shadrach Arloo, released a detailed statement which said that their findings showed that the policeman in question, did no wrong.
The statement, dated February 7, 2023, said that the late brother of gospel musician Perpetual Didier resisted arrest by a police officer on duty who was being assisted by private security guards at the scene.
The statement furthered that the deceased, after swallowing the package, became unconscious and was taken to the Sonotech Clinic for medical attention but was pronounced dead on arrival.
It added that per a post-mortem examination conducted on the deceased and in the presence of as many witnesses from the deceased’s family and other officials, including MP Dorcas Affo-Toffey, it was confirmed that the cause of death was Asphyxiation and Obstruction of the airway by a foreign body.
Watch the interview below:
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