Court patrons shocked after watching lynching video of Major Mahama

It was a rather tense atmosphere as patrons of the Accra High Court watched the lynching video of Major Maxwell Adam Mahama. 

Fourteen persons have been accused of killing the deceased, and prosecution insisted on playback of videos that captured Major Mahama’s final moments.

Late Major Mahama was an officer of the 5th Infantry Battalion at Burma Camp.

The judges, jury, lawyers were in a transfix as images of the accused persons rolled on a projected board.

Whispers of ‘Jesus Christ’ and open sighs of anguish seemed to be the only sound heard in court on Monday.

Some of the accused persons also had their hands on their chin as they watched the disturbing videos.

Others could only find solace in the tiled floor of the courtroom.

The videos were played as evidence to buttress the prosecution’s case against the 14 accused persons standing trial.

“Kill him, burn him,” were some utterances of some residents at Denkyira Obuasi in the Central Region on May 29, 2017, where the late Major Mahama had been deployed to help curb illegal mining popularly known as galamsey.

Some people in the video threw bricks and logs at the then-serving military officer, leading to his death.

Two versions of the video were played, after which a slow-motion version and a slideshow were also projected at the court presided over by Justice Mariama Owusu.

The slideshow depicted close shots of the perpetrators of the act.

Accused persons

Those standing trial for his murder are William Baah, the Assemblymember of Denkyira Obuasi;  Bernard Asamoah alias Daddy and Kofi Nyame, known as Abortion.

The others are Akwasi Boah, Kwame Tuffour, Joseph Appiah Kubi, Michael Anim, Bismarck Donkor, John Bosie, Akwasi Baah, Charles Kwaning, Emmanuel Badu, Bismarck Abanga and Kwadwo Anima.

They have all pleaded not guilty to charges ranging from murder, abetment to murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

What happened in 2017

At the dawn of that day, then Captain Mahama went on his usual jogging.

On the way, it is reported that he came across two women who assumed he was an armed robber because he had a gun tucked at the back of his trousers.

Multiple sources said the women called the Assemblyman and informed him that they had seen a man with a gun and were convinced that he was an armed robber.

The Assemblyman then called two associates and headed to the area where the Captain was seen jogging.

According to him, upon reaching the venue, the soldier opened fire on them, and he absconded.

The ex-soldier had his head smashed with bricks and other objects.

A day after his death, armed military officers were dispatched to the area.

This sent residents fleeing from the town for fear of being also attacked by the armed personnel.

About 120 residents were picked up for their involvement in the incident.