Some enraged youth of Mamobi in Accra beat a policeman to a pulp on Saturday night after he had shot a taxi driver, whom he suspected to be a car snatcher in the area.
The police lance corporal, whose name is yet to be disclosed by the police, is in critical condition at the Police Hospital.
The taxi driver, Osei Kwame, is also struggling for life at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
The angry youth also vandalized the property of the Marwako Fast Food Limited, where the policeman had sought refuge around 10 p.m. on Saturday.
They burnt down a delivery van belonging to the company and smashed two vehicles belonging to Alhaji Bature Iddrisu, the Managing Editor of the Al-Hajj newspaper.
Also destroyed in the melee were a flat screen television, air-conditioners, fridges, chairs, tables and the glass doors of the fast food joint.
The mob did not spare the prepared food and meat, nor the fresh meat in the freezers.
According to eyewitnesses, the youth accused the managers of Marwako and Alhaji Bature of calling the police to whisk the policeman away, hence their decision to vandalize the property.
Moments after the disturbances, police patrol teams from the Accra Regional Police Command and the Nima Division went to the scene to maintain order.
They reportedly fired warning shots and tear gas to disperse the crowd, while a helicopter also hovered over the area to ward off criminals.
The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Alhassan, and the Accra Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Christian Tetteh Yohuno, visited Marwako Fast Food Limited yesterday to assess the situation.
Police report
Briefing the Daily Graphic at the scene of the incident yesterday, the Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Freeman Tettey, said information gathered by the police indicated that the policeman, who was riding a motorbike, was on duty at the Kawukudi Junction when he spotted Osei in his taxi and signaled him to stop.
When the taxi driver failed to stop, the policeman pursued him.
The way Osei sped heightened the policeman’s suspicion and he fired at the taxi driver, hitting him at the back some 200 meters away from Marwako.
When information went round that a policeman had killed a taxi driver, the youth gathered around and started assaulting the policeman.
DSP Tettey said when the youth got to Marwako, the managers of the food joint intervened, kept the policeman on the premises and called the police.
He said the patrol team went for the policeman around 10:30 p.m. and that action infuriated the youth, who started destroying property at the food joint.
In the confusion, he said, the youth burnt down two vehicles belonging to Alhaji Bature and a delivery van belonging to the company and “vandalized everything”.
DSP Tettey said no arrests had been made and indicated that the police had launched an investigation to arrest the perpetrators of the crimes.
He said one significant point was that most residents of the place were against the action of the youth and stated that they had promised to help the police in their investigations.
Eyewitness account
Eyewitnesses told the Daily Graphic that the shooting, which started about 10 p.m., followed a disagreement between the policeman and the taxi driver.
A witness, who gave his name as Nana Yaw, said the policeman was chasing the driver on his motorcycle when the driver was caught in traffic on one of the linking roads to Kawukudi.
He said the driver, who feared for what might happen to him, alighted from his cab and took to his heels.
He said the driver was later caught by some residents in the neighborhood upon claims by the policeman that the taxi driver was a car snatcher.
Nana Yaw said when the taxi driver was brought to the policeman, the policeman requested that he park his taxi and follow him to the police station.
“The driver began to swear and even threatened to curse the policeman for accusing him wrongly,” he said.
He said the policeman threatened to shoot the driver if he did not comply with his directive and the driver pretended he was parking the car and then attempted to drive away.
“That was when the policeman opened fire at the driver,” he said.
Nana Yaw said the policeman shot at the taxi four times, destroying the petrol tank of the car in the process, the left front tyre and the left back window.
He said the driver was hit during the incident and was rushed to the Police Hospital.
Marwako
The Public Relations Officer of Marwako Fast Food, Mr Mohammed Amin Lamptey, said the managers of the company were distraught at the damage down to their property worth hundreds of Ghana cedis.
He said the managers were still not sure whether they could continue their business in the area or not.
Workers
One of the workers, Mr Abdul Hafiz, told the Daily Graphic that some of his colleagues escaped through the back door to save their lives.
He said other workers had to be rescued by the police.
Member of Parliament
The Member of Parliament for Ayawaso North, Dr Mustapha Ahmed, said the action of the youth sent a bad signal to potential investors in the area.
He said more companies had sprung up in the area and, therefore, the youth of the area were expected to restrain their anger and actions in all situations to maintain the improved image of the area.
