Sheikh Aliu Ahmed Kalamu
The Prang Police District Police Commander, Eric Ewiadem, has given a fresh dimension as to how the Tijanniyya Sect Islamic Cleric, Sheikh Aliu Ahmed Kalamu, was shot dead last Tuesday evening near Prang in the Bono East Region by a yet-to–be identified gunman.
The commander said that Sheikh Kalamu was shot and killed during a ride with another person, when a gunman appeared from a nearby bush and ordered them to stop.
“But before they could stop the gunman opened fire on the cleric,” he said.
The motorbike rider, the District commander added, reported the incident to the police at about 7:00pm.
“The police upon reaching the crime scene found the pillion rider lying on the ground dead. He was conveyed to the mortuary. This is all I can say,” he said.
As to whether or not the Ejura – Yeji road was prone to such attacks, he said that the Police in the Prang Area had put in place, measures to obviate criminal activities; adding that even on market days the area was devoid of criminalities as a result of the Police visibility and actions.
Questions are continuing to be posed about the motive behind the murder of the cleric.
One of the theories has it that the cleric had gone to receive treatment from a herbalist and was on his way back to Prang when the incident occurred.
As to why the gunman did not shoot at the rider but the cleric, constituted another poser in the matter.
Many are they who are demanding serious investigations into the case because of the many loose ends in the seeming puzzle, and some parties have started what looks like an effort to score political points regarding the matter.
Jumping into the fray is the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which has called for investigations into the circumstances that led to the shooting to death of Sheikh Ali Ahmed Maikano Abul Faili Jallo, son of the late Ghanaian Tijaniyya Cleric, Ahmed Maikano Jallo of Prang.
The demand of the party was contained in a statement signed by its general secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, who stated that the situation had been described as a suspected armed robbery attack that occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, March 17.
“The NDC considers the news report that the Shiekh met his untimely demise in an armed robbery attack as most painful, suspicious and worrying, as it further goes to deepen the general state of insecurity in the country.
“We would like to use this opportunity to urge the President to direct the Ministry of Interior to launch a full scale investigation into the sad event that led to the death of the Sheikh, apprehend the perpetrators of the dastardly act and offer true justice to his memory and to the bereaved family.
“We demand, as a matter of urgency, that the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration take immediate steps to deal with the growing spate of armed robbery attacks, the rampant cases of murder and the general state of insecurity in the country. There can neither be progress nor development in Ghana without peace.
“The NDC wishes to express its deepest condolences and sincere sympathies to the Jallo family, the Tijaniyya fraternity and the entire Muslim community for its loss.”
By A.R. Gomda