The statue
A 20-foot monument immortalizing the memory of Major Maxwell Mahama has been unveiled by the Ministry of Defence and Military High Command at Airport Hills Roundabout in Accra.
The ceremony was to mark two years since the soldier was murdered at Denkyira Obuasi on May 29, 2017.
The Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul, who unveiled the statue, urged Ghanaians to learn lessons from the gruesome murder of the soldier and desist from instant justice.
According to him, the killing of Major Maxwell Mahama should never be repeated in the country.
He said apart from the statue, a Trust Fund had been set up by the government to cater for the children and wife of the late Major Mahama.
“Major Mahama’s family made the request during a courtesy call on the President in 2017 where they expressed the hope that the monument would serve as a reminder of the tragedy and a deterrent to the canker of mob justice in Ghana.”
He revealed that Maxwell was on official duty as a detachment commander at Denkyira-Obuasi when he met his untimely death at the hands of the residents on 29 May 2017.
Mr. Nitiwul said that on 5th June 2017, President Akufo-Addo promoted Maxwell posthumously to the substantive rank of Major and promised to erect the monument to urge Ghanaians to desist from mob action.
The minister condemned the inhuman act, adding that a person is only proven guilty by a competent court of law and not by individuals.
Meanwhile, father of the last soldier, Captain (Rtd) Denis Mahama, in an interview with the media, has stated that innocent people continue to suffer from mob justice in the country.
He added that education on mob justice must continue until the canker is eradicated from the country.
Present were the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Lieutenant Obed Boamah Akwa; Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery; Deputy Inspector-General of Police (COP), Oppong Boanua; service chiefs; parents of the deceased; the wife Barbara Mahama and their two children.
(lindatenyah@gmail.com)
By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey