I cried all night – 67-year-old woman assaulted by police recounts her painful experience

A 67-year-old female trader who was allegedly assaulted by a police officer in the Central Business District of Accra on Monday as the city began its coronavirus lockdown says she cried all night and couldn’t sleep.

The trader, known only as Florence, recounted a bitter experience with a police officer at one of the checkpoints mounted in the city to ward off recalcitrant people venturing into the city centre.

Two days into the lockdown, a viral video showed a 67-year-old woman crying bitterly that a police officer had battered her at a police checkpoint.

The woman said she had gone to the market to buy foodstuff, including tomatoes to stock her shop.

President Nana Akufo-Addo on Friday rolled out drastic measures including the lockdown of Accra, Tema, Kasoa and Kumasi to curtail a spread of the deadly virus that has killed five people in Ghana and infected over 200 people.

The restriction order, however, allows persons working along the food distribution value chain and other essential service workers to move around.

While in town, she said she heard an order to stop, but before she could turn, she felt a stinging pain on her back.

“Immediately, I turned, I felt a heavy sharp pain on my back. I won’t forgive him for what he has done. I will make sure the uniform he is wearing will be removed,” she vowed after receiving the lash.

Reliving the experience again, in an interview on Joy News, monitored by theghanareport.com, Madam Florence said she went back to the checkpoint with her eldest son to confront the police officer who allegedly beat her.

She said the police officer denied assaulting her.

But a forgiving Madam Florence said she won’t hold grudges against the officer, although he has denied the incident ever happening.

Almost 48 hours after the incident, Madam Florence said she had forgiven the police officer she described as someone who qualified to be her son.

“He had no respect for old age. I am qualified to be his mother.

“I have forgiven him and I have taken back my words. I cursed him earlier because of the pain I was feeling then, but I don’t hold grudges anymore,” she said in tears.

She hopes such ‘brutality’ is not meted out on any other person again.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Police Service Public Relations Officer, Shiela Abayie Buckman, said the police hierarchy had ordered an investigation into the matter.

“We will be investigating the matter, but we will also continue to brief officers about the nature of this exercise and about police professionalism. We will ensure the right thing is done,” she indicated.