Ashaiman: Police investigation into killing of soldier commendable, says security analyst

Colonel Festus Aboagye (retired), a security analyst, has said the Ghana Police Service deserves commendation into their investigations into circumstances leading to the killing of a soldier in Ashaiman.

Military personnel besieged Ashaiman last Tuesday dawn following the killing of a member of the Ghana Armed Forces Band, Sherif Imoro, 21, a trumpeter who was originally stationed in Sunyani in the Bono Region.

He was in Accra for a military course and in the last three weeks, had been visiting his parents in their home at Ashaiman every Friday, multiple media sources said.

It was during one of his visits that he was reportedly confronted by a gang who killed him.

The Ghana Police Service says it has so far picked up six suspects in connection with the killing of the soldier.

Reacting to the development on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Monday (13 March), Aboagye said, ” the police have done well”.

“I have read their statements a few times and the sense I get is that, it is rather those who purchased the stolen phone that led the police to the two criminals; the one who did the stabbing and his accomplice, so they have done well,” Aboagye said.

Listen to Colonel Festus Aboagye (retired) in the attached video clip below:

ASHAIMAN SOLDIER’S DEATH: POLICE ARREST KEY SUSPECTS

WATCH: @GhPoliceService’s investigation commendable – Col. Festus Aboagye (Rtd) (Security Analyst)#AsaaseNews #AsaaseABS pic.twitter.com/XZ0SJRoUj9

— Asaase 99.5 Accra (@asaaseradio995) March 13, 2023

Arrest

The Ghana Police Service on Sunday (12 March) gave a blow-by-blow account of how a gang killed 21-year-old trooper of the Ghana Armed Forces Sherrif Imoro in Ashaiman and stole his phone.

“Further investigation has established that suspects Samuel Tetteh and Abubakar Sadick at about 1:45am on 4 March 2023 attacked the deceased at Taifa Ashiaman in an attempt to rob him of his phone and a backpack,” the police statement said.

“The deceased, however, resisted and struggled with the suspects. During the struggle, suspect Tetteh pulled out a knife and stabbed the deceased in the arm, snatched his phone and bolted leaving the deceased with the knife stuck in his arm.

“A postmortem examination was performed on the deceased’s body on 8 March 2023, after which the pathologist gave the verbal cause of death as exsanguination and laceration of major vessels of left arm consistent with stabbed injury,” the statement added.

Below is the full police account of the incident:

GHANA POLICE SERVICE STATEMENT ON THE MURDER OF A SOLDIER, IMORO SHERRIF

The Ghana Police Service, after a week of sustained intelligence-led operation, has arrested six persons at different dates and various locations within Ashiaman and its environs for their suspected involvement in the murder of Imoro Sherrif, a soldier.

On 4th March 2023, Police received information that a male adult had been found lying dead at Ashiaman Taifa in the Greater Accra Region.

A team of Police officers proceeded to the said location and confirmed the incident.

Police immediately commenced investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of the victim. The officers cordoned off the scene and called in the specialist Police Crime Scene team to process the scene for forensic analysis.

The Crime Scene Team retrieved a number of items, including a knife with blood stains on it and a backpack. In the backpack, Police found 1 Samsung tablet, 1 Apple laptop, 1 military uniform with the name tag “Imoro”, 8 other items of clothing, as well as a Ghana card and a Health Insurance card bearing the name Imoro Sherrif.

Judging from the contents of the backpack, the police suspected the victim could be a soldier, and in line with Police standard operating procedure for handling institution-based victims, the Military was accordingly notified of the incident and some military personnel came to identify the deceased to Police as Imoro Sheriff, a soldier.

The body of the deceased was thereafter conveyed to a hospital for preservation and autopsy.

As part of the investigation, an intelligence operation was immediately launched within Ashiaman and other strategic locations of interest to follow up on all relevant leads on the case.

On the same day, consistent with Ghanaian tradition and as part of the investigation process, a team of police officers after identifying the residence of the parents of the deceased, visited them, commiserated with them and assured them of a thorough investigation into the matter.

During the visit, the parents informed the Police that the deceased was stationed at Sunyani but had come to Accra on a course.

Investigations further revealed that on 3rd March, 2023 the deceased had visited a female friend at Ashaiman Newtown at about 10:30pm and left the place in the middle of the night at about 01:30am, on the 4th March, 2023.

After almost a week of painstaking intelligence-led operations, on 9th March, 2023 the police arrested suspects Safianu Musah alias Dayorgu and Ibrahim Abdul Rakib at their hideouts in Ashaiman. Two other suspects, Samuel Tetteh alias Wiper and Abubakar Sadick alias Birdman were also arrested at their hideouts on 10th March, 2023. Two additional suspects, Yussif Mohammed and Abdul Gafaru Abdul Karim were arrested on 11th and 12th March, 2023 respectively.

Further investigation has established that suspects Samuel Tetteh and Abubakar Sadick at about 1:45am on 4th March 2023 attacked the deceased at Taifa Ashiaman in an attempt to rob him of his phone and a backpack. The deceased, however, resisted and struggled with the suspects. During the struggle, suspect Samuel Tetteh pulled out a knife and stabbed the deceased in the arm, snatched his phone and bolted leaving the deceased with the knife stuck in his arm.

A postmortem examination was performed on the deceased’s body on 8th March, 2023, after which the pathologist gave the verbal cause of death as exsanguination and laceration of major vessels of left arm consistent with stabbed injury.

Investigations also revealed that suspects Samuel Tetteh and Abubakar Sadick sold the phone which they had robbed from the deceased to suspect Ibrahim Abdul Rakib who later sold it to suspect Safianu Musah. Suspect Safianu Musah is being evasive as to the whereabouts of the phone and claims to have sold it to suspect Yussif Mohammed and later to suspect Abdul Gafaru Abdul Karim. Both suspects have been arrested and are assisting the investigation to recover the phone.

On 12th March, 2023 a team of police officers led by the Tema Regional Police Commander visited the family of the deceased and briefed them on the investigations done so far.

We wish to commend all police officers at all levels of Command, especially the crack police intelligence and investigation teams as well as the Ashiaman District Police Command for their professionalism and meticulous dedication, working around the clock to unravel this case.

We would like to assure the public, especially the family of the deceased, that all the suspects are in Police custody and will be put before the court on Monday,13th March, 2023 to justice.

Reporting by Fred Dzakpata in Accra

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