The family of Stephen Mane, one of the two persons who were hit to death by stray bullets in the recent shooting incident in Wa over a land dispute, is accusing the Upper West Regional Police Commander, DCOP Peter Ndekugiri, of making biased and prejudicial comments about their deceased relative.
According to the family, the regional commander in a radio interview after the incident suggested that the deceased was among the youth who engaged in the scuffle that led to the shooting.
The commander is also reported to have said that the late Mane was a family member of one of the groups that tried to prevent the development of the land in contention.
In a press statement issued on Friday, the family expressed their anger and revulsion over the commander’s comments, saying “we are baffled by the deliberate efforts of the Regional Police Command to establish some sort of familial relations between the deceased and the suspect, when in fact, none exist. The family of the deceased finds this to be extremely unfair, prejudicial, and repugnant”.
When contacted, DCOP Peter Ndekugiri conceded to making the comments, but explained that they were initial briefings he received from his men who went to the scene.
“This was an issue involving life and death. So my initial comments were the information I received from my men handling the case. This is a serious matter and the police will not shield anyone found culpable.”
He added that his outfit has since corrected his initial comments in subsequent radio interviews and called on the family to remain calm as his men are working hard to get to the bottom of the shooting incident.
