A 15-year-old Junior High School (JHS) graduate who was shot several times by suspected land guards is yet to get justice as his attackers go about boasting.
Though the near fatal shooting incident was reported to the Ningo-Prampram police and later to the Tema Regional police command, the police appear impotent in bringing to book the suspects whose identities and location complainants claimed have been given to the police.
The boy (name withheld as a minor) had together with some family members gone to inspect a parcel of family lands at Miotso in the Ningo-Prampram District of the Greater Accra region when the unfortunate incident happened on September 9 this year.
The over 6000-acre land which was under dispute was February 17, 2016 affirmed by an Appellate Court with civil appeal No. J4/38/2015 as belonging to the Numo Awuley Kwao Family of Miotso.
While inspecting a portion of the lands that the Numo Awuley Kwao Family claimed was illegally sold to Real Assets Limited, a real estate developer, some machomen emerged from the bush and opened fire on them.
Unfortunately, the boy was at the receiving end with bullets riddled all over his back from the shoulder down to his buttocks.
Though other members of the Numo Awuley Kwao Family sustained gunshot wounds they managed to escape from the attackers, the boy was too weak to run away.
Though the family went back to the bush to search for him, he could not be found on the scene.
I was going to die
With the pellets still in his body, the boy had to lie in the bush for three days without food or water.
“I thought I was going to die. I was feeling dizzy, and I was praying somebody should pass by and save me…it was not easy at all,” the victim told 3news.com at Miotso on the sideline of a press conference called by the family on the issue.
The father of the boy and head of Numo Awuley Kwao Family, Akwetey Awuley Okine told 3news.com he has spent over GHC4,000 treating the boy. He expects his expenses to go up sine boy has yet to recover fully.
However, he said he does not expect compensation from anyone.
“I want justice,” he said flanked by the Chief of Miotso Nene Awuley Kwame II and some elders.
“I want the police to arrest and prosecute those who shot my boy who was very innocent.”
Asafoatse John Lartey Awuley who also had bullet wounds on his ribs identified some of the land guards as Makoko, Anum, Abotchway, Parka, and Razak.
While lying motionless, he claimed the attackers thought he was dead, and he heard Abotchway and Anum called “Makoko, Makoko we have finished John”.
He however managed to escape.
He said he is disappointed in the police, suspecting that they may have been compromised as the supposed land guards are yet to be legally sanctioned even though he said the police know their whereabouts.
He also suspect someone within the police service has been giving tipoff to the alleged criminals, noting that the culprits manage to abscond on a number of occasions he tried to assist the police in getting them.
Meanwhile, the Tema Regional Police command has flatly denied that the police have been compromised in this shooting incident.
Contrary to claims by the Numo Awuley Kwao Family that the shooting incident happened on September 9, 2016, ASP Juliana Obeng, who is the Tema Regional Public Relations Officer, said it happened on August 26, 2016: both dates fall on Friday.
Official report was however made to the police on August 27, she said.
She told TV3’s Peter Adattor that 12 suspects were picked up, the police took their “statement and cautioned” them.
She said the police are still investigating the matter but accused the family of not responding to police invitations to assist in the investigation.
“That notwithstanding, we are still waiting for that day that he would respond to our invitation so we will continue with our investigation process,” ASP Obeng said. But the family have denied the claim by the police.
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