The Half Assini Police in the Western Region has presented GHC5,000 to the family of a 45-year-old man who mysteriously died while in Police cell.
According to the family, the autopsy done last Saturday revealed the man, Yaw Esuabe, a second-hand cloth dealer, did not die naturally but out of beating. The family members say the amount given them by the Police on Monday suggests the Police has accepted responsibility for the death of the man, which they say gives them enough grounds to sue the Police and use the amount as evidence in court.
The death of Esuabe triggered an attack on the Half Assini Police Station in the Jomoro District resulting in the destruction of some items by some irate youth. Esuabe was arrested for allegedly selling stolen attire and was refused bail only for family members to discover later that he had died mysteriously while in police custody.
The Police conveyed the body to the morgue without the knowledge the family members who had earlier made several attempts to get bail for the deceased. “Once the Police has accepted responsibility and brought apology, we have agreed to bury him by Saturday.
After the burial, we will take the necessary action.. We have taken the money as evidence and after the burial we will go to court,” the Abusuapanin, Akosse Addo, told Takoradi-based Connect FM Wednesday. Assembly Member for Half Assini, Peter Miezah also told Connect FM the family members have requested for the body burial.
He said the GHC5,000 was given to the family on Monday when the Police and some members of the District Assembly called on the family at which meeting the Police was said to have pleaded with the family to bury the deceased after which investigations will be conducted. Narrating the frustrations they had to go through before getting autopsy conducted, Mr Miezah said though the Regional Police Commander asked that the autopsy be done on last Wednesday, March 29, it was until Saturday that it was done.
He said the family members on March 29 waited for the Police to go for the autopsy to be done but never they never showed up. He said they were told by the Crime Officer that he could not get a magistrate to sign the necessary documentation for the autopsy to be done.
According to him, the Crime Officer asked them to make it March 31 but on the said date, they were told the pathologist had travelled having waited till 11:00pm. He said it was until Saturday, when the body had gone bad, that the autopsy was finally performed.
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