President Akufo-Addo says he is shocked and saddened by the news of the murder of Ekow Hayford, the incumbent MP for Mfantseman.
It is a sad day for the constituency and the country as a whole, the president said, and charged the police to get to the bottom of the matter as soon as possible.
“By all accounts, he was very much appreciated and loved by his constituents, and I expect the police to bring the perpetrators of this gruesome, cruel act to book as soon as possible,” the president said.
Recounting his last moments with the dead man, President Akufo-Addo said they were together “on 30 June this year, when I commissioned a water supply project at Anomansa, in his constituency”.
President Akufo-Addo said it was clear from reactions by the residents that the MP was well loved by his constituents.
“My deepest condolences to his family, to the Mfantseman constituency, to the New Patriotic Party and Parliament. May his soul rest in perfect peace,” he said.
Police bounty
Meanwhile, James Oppong-Boanuh, Inspector General of Police (IGP), has placed a GHC20,000 bounty on the killers of Ekow Hayford.
In a statement issued by the public relations directorate of the Ghana Police Service, the Service said the money will only be given for credible information that will lead to the arrest of the perpetrators.
Hayford was shot and killed and his driver injured after armed robbers attacked the car in which they were travelling on the road between Nkusukum Mankessim and Abeadze Duadze in the Central Region.
The statement also said that the IGP had despatched a team of investigators from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to support the Central Region crime scene team to investigate the incident.
Eyewitnesses say the suspected armed robbers, numbering about six, started shooting at the MP’s vehicle when his driver attempted to drive through the stretch of road where they were carrying out a robbery.
They shot at the driver, and he lost control over the vehicle.
Reports say the MP then introduced himself to the robbers, which infuriated them. He was then shot twice.
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