Kaaka murder: No compensation for us after committee report – Family laments

The family of murdered social activist, Ibrahim Mohammed, popularly known as Kaaka, is yet to be officially informed about the findings of the Ejura Committee with no compensation given to them.

They also said families of injured persons have not received any compensation as directed by the committee.

At a presser on Thursday, 25 November 2021, counsel for the family Oliver Barker-Vormawor, called on the government to expedite action and ensure justice is served.

“The National Peace Council together with the Vice President and National Chief Imam all went to Ejura to speak with the victims and assured them that justice will be served. Since the report has come, the family has embarked on another visit to the National Chief Imam, they’ve requested to meet with the Vice President. They’ve now come to see the National Peace Council.

“Coming here is to recognize that the people have kept faith in those words and believed that if they trust these institutions, their voice will be heard, but it’s been six months. The urgency with which the president acted to get a committee and get them to release the report within seven days, we haven’t seen that sense of urgency applied to moving forward and dealing with the report of the committee.

“A lot of them are hurt and are incurring debts to be able to take care of their physical and emotional injuries through the actions of our own military,” he said.

The Committee of Inquiry

The three-member committee of inquiry was announced on Thursday, July 1, by Interior Minister Ambrose Dery.

It comprised George Kingsley Koomson, a judge in the Court of Appeal, international relations and security expert Prof. Vladimir Antwi-Danso, and Juliet Amoah, a media-tech innovator.

The tripartite committee was given a 10-day period with which to complete their investigations. This was later extended by a week.

The constitution of the committee followed a directive by President Nana Akufo-Addo to the Ministry of Interior to investigate the circumstances that led to the death of social activist Ibrahim Anyass Mohammed and others during a protest in Ejura.

Key findings and recommendations

The 55-page report recommended the payment of adequate compensation to the families of two deceased persons who died in the protest – Abdul Nasir Yusif and Murtala Suraj Mohammed, as well as to Kaaka’s family.

It also recommended the structural expansion of the Ejura Police Station, as well as an increment in personnel to enable the police command to deal with such situations better in the future.

The report said Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Philip Kojo Hammond, should be transferred for incompetence and the fact that his relationship with the community had been damaged beyond repair.

ALSO READ: Find my husband’s killers – Kaaka’s wife

 

Background

Ibrahim Muhammed, also known as Kaaka, was a resident of Ejura who was believed to have been attacked by a mob. He later died at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) due to injuries .

Witness accounts claim that the deceased was ambushed in front of his house when he was returning home on his motorbike at about 1:30 am on Sunday, June 27, 2021.

Ibrahim Muhammed was rushed to the Ejura Municipal Hospital to receive medical treatment after the attack.

He was later transferred to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, where he died at midday on Monday, June 28, 2021, the Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), Godwin Ahianyo, told the media at a press briefing.

Providing an account of the incident, the widow of the deceased, Sahada Hudu, said she found him in a pool of blood after the attack.

“I thought my husband was driving away goats from the house at the time. Little did I know that he was being attacked. We saw him in a pool of blood. The people bolted as soon as we opened the door to check what was happening,” she recounted.

 

Before his death, Ibrahim Muhammed, aged 45, took to social media, where he posted social critiques about the Ejura Municipality and other issues of national importance.

His last activity on Facebook was to share a post criticizing the arrest of 15 members of the #TheFixCountry at the High Court Complex on June 25.

In the aftermath of his death, scores of angry residents stormed the streets in Ejura to demand justice.

Two shot dead, four hospitalised

Two protestors died while four others were left in critical condition after law enforcement officers shot into a crowd demonstrating over the death of Kaaka.

The other injured persons were taken to the Ejura Government Hospital for treatment.

Court Remands Three Suspected Killers Of Kaaka

Meanwhile, a District Court in Asokwa in the Ashanti Region on July 2 remanded three into police custody in connection with the murder of Kaaka.

Isaka Ibrahim, Fuseini Alhassan and Idi Mohammed, were slapped with conspiracy to commit a murder. The court is yet to take their pleas.