A scene from Ejura on Tuesday. INSET: Killed! Ibrahim Mohammed, aka Macho Kaaka, Ambrose Dery
The government has unreservedly condemned the violence that erupted at Ejura in the Ejura/Sekyedumase District of the Ashanti Region leading to the killing of two people.
Some youth went on rampage in Ejura on Tuesday following the murder of a certain Ibrahim Mohammed aka Macho Kaaka, 45, said to be a social media commentator last Saturday, June 26.
Public Probe
Barely 24 hours after the deadly scenes, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has instructed the Minister of the Interior, Ambrose Dery, “to conduct, forthwith, a Public Inquiry into the circumstances that led to the unfortunate occurrences of Tuesday, June 29, 2021.”
A statement signed by Eugene Arhin, Director of Communications at the Presidency said “the Interior Minister is to provide a detailed report from the Inquiry, with recommendations for appropriate action, within ten days, i.e., by July 9, 2021, to President Akufo-Addo.”
It means that the minister has less than two weeks to conduct a public probe into the much-talked-about incident and the inquiry as directed will hopefully bring some clarity to the unfortunate incidents which led to the mayhem and subsequent loss of lives at Ejura.
“The President is deeply saddened by the deaths of Ibrahim Mohammed, alias Macho Kaaka, Abdul Nasir Yussif and Murtala Mohammed. He extends sincere condolences to the families of the deceased, and wishes the injured a speedy recovery,” the statement added.
Govt Statement
Addressing journalists in Accra yesterday, Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, had condemned the act of violence and called on the security agencies to act swiftly in the investigation.
“Our security agencies should be quick and clinical in getting to the bottom of this and other unresolved issues. While we understand that police investigations sometimes take a while, it does not instill confidence in the population if such acts go unresolved and unpunished. So the police need to get to the bottom of this, and justice must be done,” he said.
“A credible investigation also needs to be conducted into the crowd rioting and crowd control incidents of June 29. This will bring clarity to the sequence of events and ensure that if any persons acted inappropriately, those persons are punished,” he added.
Violent Scenes
Macho Kaaka, was reportedly attacked by some unknown people and he died on Monday, June 28, at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, where he was receiving treatment.
Following Macho Kaaka’s death, the irate youth on Tuesday clashed with the military cum police on the streets of Ejura, leaving two more people (Abdul Nasir Yussif and Murtala Mohammed) dead and four others injured.
The four that got injured were first sent to the Ejura Government Hospital where two were treated and discharged but the others were referred to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi for further treatment.
Cemetery Return
Matters came to a head when the irate protesters who were returning from the cemetery after the burial of Macho Kaaka, started pelting stones at the few police personnel around.
They reportedly besieged the police station, vandalised some vehicles, and also blocked the Ejura-Atebubu highway, causing a gridlock.
The unprovoked attacks were rapidly getting out of hand so it compelled the few policemen to flee the scene and call for reinforcement, and a joint police and military team arrived quickly.
The security forces, who were armed-to-the-teeth, then started to fire bullets to disperse the angry crowd, who were then destroying all ruling New Patriotic Party items in the Ejura township, leading to the shooting of six people with two sudden deaths.
Political Advantage
The murder of Macho Kaaka was given a political twist when some people sought to politicise the subject by associating the deceased with the ‘#FixTheCountry’ campaign.
Even before the police could delve into the case, those claiming to lead the #FixTheCountry protesters had claimed that until the gruesome murder of Macho Kaaka, he was one of their organisers.
Before he was declared dead, they started making social media posts to the effect that one of the #FixTheCountry leaders had been beaten by people belonging to the government.
Mahama De-Escalation
Former President John Dramani Mahama waded into the unfortunate incident and appeared to create the impression that President Akufo-Addo was not doing anything about the situation.
He said in a statement that, “I urgently call on President Nana Akufo-Addo to initiate an immediate de-escalation of the situation in Ejura,” and added that “there must be a very thorough investigation of both the murder of the youth activist and the security rules of engagement, which resulted in the shooting to death of the two others.”
Subsequent Events
However, subsequent events are showing that the death of Macho Kaaka may not be linked to politics after all.
The assertion that he was murdered because he was criticising the government has since been debunked when it became clear that the deceased was not even a member of the #FixTheCountry political group.
Some have even claimed that Macho Kaaka was a supporter of the government and was a member of the NPP in good standing.
He was said to have even campaigned for one lady who is aspiring to become the next DCE of Ejura Sekyedumase.
Fresh Arrest
As at yesterday, a man believed to be the brother of the deceased, had been arrested in connection with the killing and was in the custody of the Ashanti Regional Police Command.
His name was only given as Baba Iddi, and is 48 years.
Also, the Regional Police Command issued a statement before the violence escalated, saying two persons had been arrested for their alleged role in the murder of Macho Kaaka, who was a resident of Dagombaline in Ejura.
The suspects were then identified by the police as Ibrahim Issaka aka Anyass and Fuseini Alhassan.
Chief’s Caution
The Ejurahene, Barimma Osei Hwedie II, who has played a critical role in the peacemaking process, has told politicians to back off Ejura as he blames them for the bloody melee which engulfed the town on Tuesday.
Many have made the observation that some politicians stoked the fire.
Emerging Details
Sources have it that the military and police resorted to live firing when they were surrounded by the irate youth of the town, and threatening them with offensive weapons.
Macho Kaaka, the man whose death sparked the melee, was said to have been posting stuff on social media, one of which bordered on his allegation that the police were collecting GH¢5 notes from people.
The Ejura law enforcement officers reportedly invited him over the GH¢5 notes bribe allegation and later cautioned him.
Others are also claiming that he had reported to the police that he was being threatened and the police rather cautioned him.
Eyewitness’ Interview
Some eyewitnesses have claimed that the victim’s brother who is in custody, struck him in the head.
“I heard striking of sticks, I came out to ascertain what really was happening, then I saw the victim’s brother strike him with sticks in the head, then he dragged him into darkness,” the supposed witness claimed, adding “I rushed to the victim’s door to call his wife and a tenant teacher. The teacher assisted to pick the victim to the hospital on a motorcycle.”
Another witness has also claimed that “I heard the noise. I came out and rushed back inside due to fear and I started crying having seeing the victim’s brother out there.”
Another witness also said that “I have reported to the police. They promise to arrest the suspect but have not done that yet. I called police commander the next dawn and cautioned that, should you sit on evidence before hell breaks loose? The police promised to effect arrest after the burial but to no avail. People have gone on rampage burning NPP bases, but truth be told, the killing is in-house and has no association with the NPP.”
“His wife was called to come and see her injured husband. Kaaka was killed by Baba Iddi, who is a mental patient. I called the Police Commander in Ejura and informed him about the incident. The deceased was killed by a family member. After the incident his brother who killed him went back to his room,” the witness explained.
By Charles Takyi Boadu & I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi