Serve us justice or there will be a curse on the police and government for innocently killing our son, that is the threat of the family of a 38-year-old Awudu Osman allegedly brutalized to death by the police in Ashanti Region.
The police named Awudu alias “Burger” among suspects who use motorbikes to rob their victims at gun point.
Police PRO, ASP Juliana Obeng, told journalists the suspects, Lukeman Mohammed and Awudu Osman, were traced and arrested at their hideouts.
The two confessed they had arms – pistols – hidden in an uncompleted storey building at Sepe, a suburb of Kumasi.
“The suspects took the police to four separate hideouts without any trace of the said pistol. Whiles the search was ongoing, the two suspects who were in separate handcuffs jumped from a one storey building to escape from the police,” said the Police PRO.
“They were however, chased and fired to immobilize them from escaping, but suspect Awudu Osman died instantly, whiles suspects Lukeman Mohammed was pronounced dead on arrival at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. Bodies of the deceased have since been deposited at the same hospital morgue,” she said.
But Awudu’s family will not take this, disputing the police report.
The family claims the deceased was a scrap dealer with no criminal record. They accuse the police of abuse of power and unfair professional conduct.
“You beat him to pulp. They broke every joint of his and they sent him to Moshie Zongo before sending him to Central [Police Station]. The follow up was done [but] you’ll not allow us to see him until three days. Anytime we go there, they’ll be giving excuses. Then we decided to go to the mortuary and see; indeed we got to the mortuary and he is there with two shots on his chest,” said Fuseini Husseini, brother of the deceased.
In accordance with Islamic tradition, Awudu should have been buried. But the family will not do that until justice is served.
“We want to know what happened to him; how come he died… the two bullets on his chest, we want an explanation. According to the laws of Ghana, the police has no right to arrest anyone and kill him. Where ever, we’ll take this for justice to be done, we’ll do it,” said brother of the deceased.
Other relatives, who thronged the home of the deceased, rained curses on the Police for brutally murdering Awudu.
The late Awudu Osman is survived by a pregnant wife and three children.
By Kofi Adu Domfeh|3news.com|Ghana