Third suspect dies in police custody within four months

A 43-year-old man being held in custody by the Mile 7 Police in Accra for allegedly defrauding by false pretence has died.

Daniel Omari Aboagye died barely 24 hours after he was arrested.

Confirmation

The Public Relations Officer of the Accra Regional Police Command DSP Mrs Effia Tenge, who confirmed the incident to Graphic Online and said Aboagye died around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

She said Aboagye, who was arrested last Monday, reported sick a few hours into being in custody.

He was rushed to the Police Hospital where he was treated, discharged and sent back to the cell at 10.30 pm.

However, inmates in the police cell drew the attention of the police personnel on duty to Aboagye’s motionless body and indicated that he was not responding to their calls.

The police went into the cell to give him first aid but found Aboagye unresponsive.

Meanwhile, when his body was inspected there were no marks of assault found.

His body was thus removed from the police cell and conveyed to the Police Hospital where Aboagye was declared dead.

Aboagye’s corpse has since been deposited in the morgue of the same hospital.

Third death in police custody in four months

This is the third time in four months that a suspect has died in police custody. In October last year, a man arrested over allegations of secessionist attacks in the Volta Region died in police cells in Accra.

The unnamed accused person died while on remand.

In another case, the main suspect who allegedly confessed involvement in the murder of law lecturer, Prof. Yaw Benneh died in police custody on October 17, 2020.

The suspect, James Nana Womba, who was the cleaner in the late lecturer’s household died at the police hospital in Accra.

The 26-year old was rushed to the intensive care unit of the police hospital and put on oxygen.