Quartey’s Family Cries For Justice

Gunned down! Nii Kwatei Quartey.

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Friday July 8, 2011.
The family of Nii Kwatei Quartey, the 61-year old man who was shot dead by assailants at Tema Community 9 on July 17, 2007 in what was then described as a contract killing, has appealed to President Mills to order the police to expedite investigations into the case.

They said there has not been any serious attempt by security agencies particularly the police to investigate the matter four years after the incident and that this lack of seriousness is causing an uneasy calm among family members.

Narrating their ordeal to DAILY GUIDE in Accra yesterday, some of the family members who wished to remain anonymous, said they have been receiving veiled threats from certain people perceived to be involved in the murder of Mr. Quartey.

They said Ouartey himself who was at a point in time engaged in a land dispute with other external members of the family, faced similar threats and intimidation which finally led to his assassination.

According to the deceased’s family when the incident occurred, the police arrested some people suspected to have a hand in Quartey’s murder but they were released after about three months in detention without any explanation.

Those picked up by the police at the time they said were Nana Addo Kwaku (Brekuso Odumasehene), Ashia Nyarko (now deceased) of Brekuso, Djan Torto of Kweiman, Tsei Suttah of Teiman, Francis Okai Suttah of Tema, Addo Adjei of Adenkrebi, Mensah Suttah, Jerry Suttah, Samuel Suttah and Kuuku of Brekuso.

They said the police picked up some of the suspects because Mr. Quartey had reported that they (suspects) had threatened his life after he won a court case in a land dispute against them.

They provided DAILY GUIDE with a letter of invitation by the police titled: “Re-Case of threatening and encroachment” signed by then Assistant Superintendent of the Panthers Unit, Gabriel Mbgamsi on June 1, 2007, requesting Francis Okai Suttah, Nana Addo Kwaku, Ashia Nyarko, Djan Torto, Tsei Suttah and Addo Adjei to come to the Police Headquarters in Accra to assist in investigation.

The family said exactly 46 days after the police invitation to the suspects, Mr. Quartey was gunned down in cold blood at Community 9 around 5:45am, adding “we never saw which court they were sent to or who ordered their release. All we saw was that they were back on the streets threatening everybody.”

They said the security agencies had been silent on the matter for four years, but after petitioning the authorities recently, the police apprehended some of the suspects on June 5, 2011.

They are Francis Okai Suttah, Addo Adjei, Mensah Suttah, Samuel Suttah and Jerry Suttah who spent 13 days each in police custody while Nana Addo Kwaku, Kuuku and Djan Torto were arrested later but spent only three days in custody.

“They are back on the streets. The police say they are on police enquiry bail. We have no one to go to but we believe President Mills will come to our aid and let justice prevail. Nobody is telling us when the case will go to court. We continue to live in fear,” they complained.