The Ghana Police Service has dismissed a photo making rounds on social media, showing Albert Donkor, the 27-year-old man whose death sparked protests in Nkoranza, ostensibly eating with officers.
According to the police, the men in the photo are neither police officers from Nkoranza South Municipality nor from any part of the country.
In a press release issued by the Service on Thursday, May 26, 2022 said “Our investigations have revealed that this is a picture of Albert Donkor and his five friends, none of whom is a Police Officer, which was taken at a funeral at Boana in the Nkoranza North District, approximately 20 kilometers away from Nkoranza,”
“We consider this as a calculated attempt by the people behind this mischief to drag the name of the Ghana Police Service into disrepute,” the release signed by Director-General of Public Affairs DCOP Kwesi Ofori added.
The viral picture had fuelled rumours that Albert Donkor was deliberately killed by police officers and that he did not die during an exchange of gunfire while leading police as a suspect to hideouts of some armed robbers in the municipality.
Those rumours had sparked protests in Nkoranza on Tuesday, May 17, leading to the death of another youth.
Calm has since returned to the area as the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) on Wednesday led senior officers to patrol the town’s streets and call on bereaved families.
By Vincent Kubi