The late Major Maxwell Adam Mahama
The late Major Maxwell Adam Mahama will be laid to rest at the Osu Cemetery in Accra today after a memorial and burial service amidst military honours, according to Nana Enoch Osei Mensah, Director of State Protocol.
Major Mahama, who was promoted from Captain to Major posthumously by President Akufo-Addo, was lynched and partly burnt by some people of Denkyria-Obuasi in the Central Region, who suspected him to be an armed robber.
He died from the mob attack in the early hours of Monday, May 29, 2017.
So far forty-four people have been arrested in connection with his death.
He would be accorded state burial as ordered by President Akufo-Addo when he joined the bereaved family to mourn with them a few days ago.
The Director of Protocol who is also the Chairman of the Funeral Planning Committee, mentioned among other arrangements in a release on Wednesday, that the mortal remains of the slain soldier would be moved from the 37 Military Hospital mortuary, Accra, to the forecourt of the State House to commence filing past procedures, burial service and other military performances.
It was announced that there was going to be a vigil service at the Arakan Officers’ Mess on Thursday, 8th June, 2017 at 8pm after which the body would be moved to the Forecourt of the State House today at 6am for filing past.
According to the arrangements, burial service commences at 9:10 am, thence procession to the Osu Military Cemetery for interment after the burial service.
The release said the order of procession to the cemetery would be announced during the burial service and the final funeral rites would be held at the Forecourt of the State House immediately after the burial.
On Sunday, there will be thanksgiving service at the Light House Chapel International, Qodesh, North Kaneshie, Accra, at 10:30 am.
Final funeral rites will be held at Bole from 13th – 15th June, 2017 and Tumu from 16th – 18th June.
The President and Commander in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Monday, June 5, at a brief meeting with all ranks of the GAF and family members at the deceased’s residence at Arakan Barracks, announced the fallen soldier’s promotion to the rank of Major posthumously, effective May 29, 2017.
“The action of Major Mahama is a true mark of a professional soldier. He denied himself the opportunity to use his pistol in his defence but looked on as his assailants stoned and tortured him to death. Let me assure you and the entire country that anyone found culpable will face the full rigours of the law,” he assured
The president further instructed that the deceased should be given a full state burial besides a number of reliefs for the wife, Babara Mahama and the children.
A monument in his honour is expected to be erected at a strategic location. A Memorial Trust Fund was set up by the government with seed money of GH¢500,000. The president personally donated GH¢50,000 as part of the fund to cater for the education of the late military officer’s children.
A source told DAILY GUIDE that the family would proceed to Bole and Tumu in the Northern and the Upper West Regions after Sunday’s thanksgiving service for further traditional rites from Monday, June 13-18.
Jogging
On Monday, May 29, 2017, at about 8am, then Captain Mahama 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.
Major Mahama was said to have stopped to interact with the women and even bought some snails which he left with the women with the intention of picking 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 them and a few others saw his sidearm tucked at his waist and soon after he had left, one of them, (women) telephoned the assemblyman of the area, William Baah, to report what she had seen.
Without verifying the information, William Baah – who is also currently in police custody – allegedly mobilized the town folks to prepare to attack a suspected armed robber who had been sighted by the traders at the outskirt of the town.
The suspects reportedly met Major Maxwell Mahama near the Denkyira-Obuasi cemetery, and without giving him the opportunity to identify himself, attacked him with weapons such as clubs, concrete blocks, pieces of stick and machetes.
They killed him there and then burnt part of his body.
By Solomon Ofori