‘Mob injustice’, the killings in two regions

Diabolic! Fiendish! Inhuman! Barbaric! Callous! Sadistic! Evil! One could go on and on with such exclamations, and still not find the appropriate words to describe the horror of the cold-blooded killing of any human being, such as has been in the news these past few days.

But even as we mourn and ponder in disbelief at what Captain, now posthumously promoted Major, Maxwell Adama Mahama suffered on Monday, May 29, at the hands of his devilish assailants in Denkyira-Obuasi, Central Region, news has emerged of another grisly ‘proof of our inhumanity’.

On that same day, in another part of Ghana, a defenceless old woman, too, met a similar fate; another victim of mob injustice: stoned to death.

This second, hardly publicised brutal murder, which came to my attention as I was writing this article about Captain Mahama, was of a 67-year old, named as Yenboka Keena, of Tindongo, Upper East Region, accused of being a witch.

According to the Chronicle newspaper of June 1, based on that accusation, her fellow villagers pounced on her and murdered her.

What wrong did the 31-year old officer do, to meet such an end, having left the comfort of his home and the care of his family on duty for mother Ghana? What was his crime, this officer assigned to help stop the destruction of the environment, this honourable man being buried today?

Where did we as a nation lose it, the Ghana whose religious venues are filled every day of the week with worshippers; the same country which supposedly has compassion so inbuilt in its people that many traditional stools even have a ‘dwanetoahene’ and ‘dwanetoahemaa’, a chief and queen mother designated as leaders to intercede on behalf of wrongdoers? That is even when there has been accepted guilt.

Much has been said about the officer’s last hours, his valiant fight for survival against his cold-hearted attackers when he could have used his gun.

For the record, some of the memorable facts from the information provided by the Director of the Criminal Investigation Department, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Bright Oduro are:

• Captain Mahama was the Commander of a military detachment stationed at Diaso in the Upper Denkyira West District in the Central Region to stop ‘galamsey’ (illegal mining).
• On May 29, 2017 at 8a.m., Captain Mahama, wearing civilian clothing but carrying a pistol, left his detachment base for a 20-kilometre jogging.
• Between 8:55 a.m. and 9:25a.m., he got to the outskirts of Denkyira-Obuasi village where a number of women were selling food items by the road side. He stopped to speak to the women and even bought some of the snails on sale there, which he left with the women to keep for him until his return later.
• While he was taking out money from his pocket to pay for the snails, the woman from whom he bought the snails and a few others saw that Captain Mahama had a pistol on him.
• Soon after he left the women, one of them telephoned the Assembly Member of Denkyira-Obuasi, William Baah, to report what they had seen.
• Instead of verifying the information, Baah rather mobilised the townsfolk to prepare to attack an ‘armed robber’ who had allegedly been sighted by the women.

Through social media images, we know what happened next.

But, anyway, what kind of ‘armed robber’ stops to chat with food sellers, even buy snails and asks the package to be kept for him for collection on his return?

What armed robber will stop to exchange pleasantries with women selling by the roadside?

Given his position, was Baah not aware that soldiers had been assigned to his area? As an opinion leader, why did he not report his information about a stranger with a weapon to the police? In other countries, the first response to any such report would have been a communication to the police.

These are some of the reasons why I tend to side with those who doubt that Major Mahama’s lynching was indeed an on-the-spot decision.

But what made the cruel perpetrators think they could get away with it? Were some of them galamsey miners who have powerful people backing them, as has long been rumoured, or who have highly-placed people who are benefitting from their illegal gold mining?

Or was it their thinking that in Ghana once somebody is tagged a witch, or a thief, or a burglar or an armed robber and lynched, there is no punishment? True, no proof of their guilt is even asked. All too often when suspected thieves are pounced upon, nobody even asks what they stole.

And it is never rich old women, or those with powerful connections, who are accused of being witches.

Shockingly, this is the reality, even in 2017 Ghana.

This is why some people are of the view that the current national agitation over the officer is only because of his status; and because somebody filmed it and put it on the internet.

Like many others, I, too wonder about the identity of the person, or persons, who filmed the brutality for posting on the internet. Granted that it is through the images that the murderers have been identified, but it is still highly disturbing that, seemingly, that person was more concerned with capturing the killing on film than calling the police, trying to help save the victim.

And why no outcry over Maame Keena’s horrible death?  Obviously because she was a ‘nobody’. No doubt she was once a ‘somebody’ to her family, but when she needed crucial, assistance, there was no-one to save her.  

Surely, whoever coined the term ‘mob justice’ got it wrong. How can any action by a mob deliver justice when justice presupposes reflection and fairness? ‘Mob injustice’ is what it is.    

Condolences to Mrs Barbara Mahama, the two little boys and the rest of Major Mahama’s family. 

Condolences to Maame Keena’s well-wishers.

And truly, Ghana’s twin enemies are ignorance and illiteracy.

My prayer is that after all the suspects have been found and put on trial, the nation would have learnt a lasting lesson, and that the outrage and anguish being expressed everywhere over the officer’s killing will translate into pragmatic action. 

Major Mahama’s murder and Maame Keena’s murder should be the last such news that Ghana wakes up to hear.