Widow unhappy officers in Asawase shooting case haven’t been punished

37-year old Humu Abubakar is still reeling from the effects of the July 17 incident.

With her daughter on her lap, she holds firmly to a picture of her late husband, Musah Seidu.

He was part of the seven Zongo youth killed by police officers at Manso Nkwanta.

Mohammed Kamal, Babonte Farar, Mohammed Bashir Musah, Razak Sulley, Oliver Kolang and Abdul-Hannan Bashir were the other victims.

The killing triggered a civil revolt.

Residents mostly the youth violently protested the deaths insisting the seven young men were not armed robbers as the police had alleged.

A committee was subsequently set up to investigate the killing and GH¢250,000 paid to each of the bereaved families.

The twenty-one (21) police officers who engaged in the shooting were interdicted and processes were also initiated to prosecute them.

A year on, the bereaved families and the entire community are questioning why the police officers who shot at their relatives have still not been sanctioned.

It may be a year, but for Humu, it happened just yesterday.

The widow simply can’t forget as she said “I feel so sad to lose a husband like him. I always feel sad because he was with me all the time, but now when I look around, I can’t see him again”.

Now, she and her other relatives have to take up the role of taking care of the five children her husband left behind.

Humu, like others who lost their relations, wants to know what has happened to the officers who did the shooting.

“They killed them for nothing. I want to ask the President what about the police? What are they going to do to them? That is my question,” she asked in an emotional voice.

Residents within Zongo communities in Kumasi still have fresh memories of the incident.

While some residents are cautioning the youth from the community to desist from acts that will land them in trouble, others appealed to the police to be more professional and must not take the laws into their hands when they are confronted with issues that have to do with the lives of civilians.

For leadership of the Zongo Community, the unfortunate incident has become one of the many lessons of life.

President for the Council of Zongo Chiefs, Naaba Musah Akanbonga appealed to residents and the bereaved families to be more patient.

He also called on police officers to be more circumspect when discharging their duties.

“Every police officer has the right to use his discretion at any time that there is an issue. No matter your rank, whatever decision you take or whatever action that you take, you take that action on behalf of the Inspector General of Police. So I would advise the serving police officers to always try to be deep thinkers so that any decision that they take will lift the image of the Ghana Police Service, rather than soiling the reputation of the Service”, he said.

The incident has undoubtedly affected the cordial relationship between police in the region and residents.

Naaba Akanbonga indicated that a durbar to reunite the community with the police.

Per Islamic customs, prayers will be organized in remembrance of the victims

For residents in Asawase and the Zongo community, the question about whether the 21 police officers have been sanctioned as promised remains unanswered.

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