Some residents from the Ekpu community in the Half Asini District in the Western region, last week attacked the District Police station over the death of a suspect who was in police cells.
The deceased was in cells on suspicion of stealing a dress. He was denied bail and spent more than 72 hours in cells.
According to Graphic Online’s Western Regional Correspondent, Kobla Dotsey Aklorbortu, when relatives of the deceased found out about the incident and asked for answers, the police said a cell mate attacked him and resulted in his death.
According to our correspondent, the Police Intelligence and Professional Standards unit (PIPSi) has started investigations into the matter.
During the attack last Wednesday, policemen on duty were manhandled by the angry mob.
The deceased was identified as Kwabena Assuah.
The mob that attacked damaged louver blades and a police vehicle with registration number GP 3200.
They overturned the police counter, smashed it and took away the station diary, register of offences book and other documents yet to be identified.
The district crime officer in his attempt to calm the crowd was heckled and chased away to the standby police vehicle, which had its windscreen smashed.
The community members accused the investigator in charge of the case of not being fair and denying bail for the suspect when community elders went there to stand surety for his release.
The deceased was arrested after he was accused of stealing ladies dress and kept in the police cells for three days. On his second day in the cell, the deceased was said to have shouted a number of times and complained of seeing scary images inside the cell.
The deceased shared the cells with five other inmates who alleged that they could not sleep because Assuah kept walking and made noise.
In the process, he was said to have stepped on the leg of one Nicholas Atsu, aged 37, who was on remand. Atsu was said to have held Assuah’s legs and pulled him and according to the Western Regional Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Olivia Ewura Adiku, Assuah fell and hit his head on the ground.
“He was quiet for some time. Later he was found motionless and the inmates informed the policemen on duty and when he was rushed to Half Assini Government hospital for treatment, he was pronounced dead on arrival,” she said.
The body has since been deposited at the morgue-awaiting autopsy.
The Western Regional Police Commander, DCOP Mr. Duku Mensah and other senior officers have since moved to the scene to assess the situation.
The commander also went to the community to interact with the youth of Ekpu and urged them to calm down and also visited the members of the bereaved family at the District Assembly.
DCOP Mensah assured them that PIPS from the police headquarters in Accra has taken over the case for thorough investigations.
Watch a video of the incident below
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