C’ttee to probe killing of seven Zongo youth inaugurated

A five-member committee has been inaugurated to investigate the killing of seven people from a Zongo community in Kumasi by the police at Manso Nkwanta in the Ashanti Region.

The committee, inaugurated by the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, has one month to submit their report to the Regional Minister.

[contextly_sidebar id=”uahmfr5v3JPbE5eDQnFLd0GNFc7fEZpU”]The committee is made up of representatives from the Christian and the Muslim community; the BNI, as well as the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council, and will be chaired by a Justice of the Superior Court in the region.

There has been tension in the area following the killing of the seven residents the police claim were armed robbers.

The seven were believed to be part of eight suspected robbers whose attack led to the death of a Police Officer with the SWAT Unit of the Ashanti Regional Police Command at Ayirebikrom near Manso Nkwanta.

Residents of the area who said the seven were not armed robbers burnt car tyres to protest the killings.

They also blocked all roads leading to the area from the Kumasi Central mosque.

Relatives of the seven say the Kumasi police framed the deceased persons by planting weapons on them after killing them.

They insist the seven men were not robbers but were instead killed in cold blood.

IGP chased out

The Inspector General of Police and his entourage were chased away by some angry members of the Zongo community at the Kumasi Central Mosque during the protests.

The youth defied the Police’s riot control measures and pelted them with stones and other projectiles.

They also prevented the Ministers for Information and the Zongo and Inner Cities Development who were leading a government delegation from attending the meeting.

“Government sent a delegation led by the Minister for Inner City and Zongo Development, Abu-bakar Saddique Boniface and including the Minister for Information, Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, the Inspector General of Police, David Asante-Apeatu and the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensa and the Municipal Chief Executive for Asokore Mampong, Hon. Alidu Seidu to the Zongo community, where they met with the youth, Imams and Zongo chiefs. The delegation consoled the bereaved families and assured them of government commitment to establish the truth of the incident,” a statement from the Information Ministry stated.

22 people shot dead by police

Police in the last 11 months has reportedly killed 22 Ghanaians.

In most of the cases, the Police claimed they took the action because those persons were believed to be armed robbers.
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By: Marian Ansah/citinewsroom.com/Ghana