Murdered Man’s Family appeals to Mills, Mahama

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Wednesday August 24, 2011.
THE FAMILY of Nii Kwatei Quartey, the 61-year old man who was killed by assailants at Tema Community 9 on July 17, 2007, has accused the police administration of deliberately delaying the prosecution of suspects arrested for their involvement in the crime.

They have made a passionate appeal to President Mills and his vice John Mahama to “save the situation” by ordering the police to arraign the suspects before court for justice to prevail.

Briefing DAILY GUIDE in Accra on Friday, family members who wished to remain anonymous claimed to be living in fear. They said the police have constantly frustrated their efforts to seek justice by not facilitating the processes that would lead to the suspects’ prosecution.

They alleged that some of the suspects arrested by the police and later released were sighted escaping to join a parked taxi moments after Nii Kwatei Quartey was shot in what was then described as a contract killing.

They said another suspect had threatened to shoot the deceased over a protracted dispute concerning some Naa Mansah lands at Adenkrebi near Brekuso after the deceased as family head, won the case in court.

“Despite all this overwhelming evidence the police has failed to put the people before court for trial,” they said adding that the suspects “have been going about threatening and intimidating anybody who they think can be a potential witness in the case and selling lands indiscriminately in the village.”

Those picked up by the police at one point or the other following the crime 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.

According to the family of the deceased, all the suspects were granted police enquiry bail and that was all they knew about the case.

They noted that the Attorney-Generals’ Department had already recommended the prosecution of the suspects but the police have allegedly failed to send them to court.

“There are people who could help the prosecution to unravel the mystery surrounding our brother’s death four years ago. His wife and brother-in-law were at home when the incident happened but the police has never asked them to assist in the investigation.”

They also complained about the activities of gangsters and land guards at Adenkrebi saying “there are too many guns in the village and the security agencies must be able to do something about it.”

“The suspects are back on the streets. The police say they are on enquiry bail. We have no one to go to but we believe President Mills and Mr. Mahama 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 said.