Residents of Adiembra in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis have been left astonished after the Sekondi Chief Fisherman, Nana Kofi Essoun, tied and dragged a suspected thief behind his Tundra car through the community.
Not even the pleas from by-standers could calm the bewildered Chief Fisherman, who according to residents was hell bent on punishing the suspected thief.
For more than 30 minutes, the Chief Fisherman popularly called PANYA was said to have dragged the suspected thief back and forth through the community.
Narrating his ordeal with difficulty on his sick bed at the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital, the suspected thief, Akwasi Arthur, claimed he normally weeds the backyard of residents in the area for a fee.
According to him, on Wednesday May 15, 2019 at about 7: 00am, he was standing by a taxi in the area when the Chief Fisherman together with some well-built men approached the car, accosted him and accused him of stealing his woods.
He said: “Before I could say anything, Nana Panya and his men pounced on me and started to beat me mercilessly.
“It was so bad. They used anything within their reach to hit me including cement blocks.”
He continued: “Not satisfied, Panya tied me behind his tundra car and dragged me around.”
Akwasi Arthur said that after a while he was rescued by some people.
“I was so weak and bleeding all over so I reported myself to the Adiembra Police Station. It was there that the police took a taxi for me to Effia Nkwanta [Regional Hospital],” he narrated.
In an interview with 3news.com, Head of the Accident and Emergency Unit of the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital Dr. George Owusu said Akwasi was brought to the hospital in a taxi bleeding profusely.
“He had extensive abrasion on the back, avulsion injury on the right forearm and avulsion injury on the lateral aspect of the right thigh. Extensive abrasion on the sole of the right foot. We have treated the wounds and he is stable now.”
When contacted, the Sekondi District Police Commander, DSP Emmanuel Tetteh, confirmed the dastardly act and said investigation had commenced.
“We visited the victim at the hospital. Unfortunately he was not able to take us to the scene because of his condition. He described the place the incident happened to us and from our deduction he was dragged through a 1km distance.”
But in a telephone interview, the Sekondi Chief Fisherman, Nana Kofi Essoun, insisted Akwasi Arthur is a thief.
“I noticed that a taxi had parked close to my house and for a long time it was not moving. I became suspicious and alerted some guys around. They approached the taxi and the driver told us that someone hired him to help convey some woods to his house. I was worried because only last week a consignment of wood I bought for some work was stolen. So last two days I bought another one.
“It then dawned on me that the guy was after my woods.”
Nana Essoun said: “So I asked the guys to lay ambush. Moments later we saw someone approach the taxi and the driver told us it was the guy who had hired him. So we accosted him. At first he denied so we beat him and he later confessed to the crime”.
When asked why he took the law into his own hands, he said acts of thievery is on the increase in the area but anytime they report or send someone to the police station, nothing comes out of it.
“So we are frustrated and announced to the community that anyone caught will not be spared,” he bragged.
By Loveridge Ampratwum Okyere & Eric Yaw Adjei|3news.com|Western Region|Ghana