By Morkporkpor Anku
Accra, Feb. 28, GNA- Akwasi Boah, one of the 14 alleged murderers of Major Maxwell Adams Mahama, has identified himself in an amateur video of the crime scene.
The accused person was seen smashing the head of the Military Officer with a cement block when the footage was shown in open court.
Boah, 43, confirmed to the Court that he threw the block but said he could not confirm where it landed because after throwing it with both of his hands, he turned away and left the scene.
Fourteen persons are before an Accra High Court over the alleged murder of Major Mahama, who was an officer of the 5th Infantry Battalion at the Burma Camp, in Accra.
He, was, however, on special duty at Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region when on May 29, 2017, some residents lynched him.
The mob had ignored his persistent plea that he was an officer of the Ghana Armed Forces.
The accused persons are William Baah, the Assembly member of Denkyira-Obuasi, Bernard Asamoah alias Daddy, Kofi Nyame a.k.a Abortion, Kwame Tuffour, Joseph Appiah Kubi, Michael Anim and Bismarck Donkor.
The rest are: John Bosie, Akwasi Baah, Charles Kwaning, Emmanuel Badu, Bismarck Abanga and Kwadwo Anima.
Boah told the court that he was attacked at a place called “24” by some armed robbers with pistols, AK 47 and other ammunition on the day before the May 29, incident when he was returning from Dunkwa-on-Offin.
Therefore, on hearing that there had been a shoot-out between an alleged armed robber and some young men in the town, which had resulted in a stray bullet hitting one of them, he decided to visit the scene to see the dead robber.
He said upon reaching the scene, he saw the deceased and the gun used in the shoot-out, which resembled the gun used by the robbers to rob him at “24”.
“This made me angry and feeling the pain in me, and how l was maltreated, with my money is taken away from me, l decided to throw the block at him, even though l knew he was dead,” he added.
He said it was when he got home the same day that he got information that the alleged robber was a military officer, so he asked himself, “what was the soldier doing around this area because there is no Military establishment in the area?”
Boah said he also heard that some soldiers were beating anyone they could find, resulting in people fleeing the town.
He also fled to his brother in a neighbouring community but was brought back to the Police Station to report himself, where a statement was taken from him.
Mrs Frances Mullen-Ansah, Chief State Attorney, in a cross-examination, suggested to the accused person that the Major Mahama was not a ‘well-built’ man but Mr Boah disagreed.
The Chief State Attorney also suggested to the accused that it was untrue that he was not at the scene when Major Mahama was lynched but the accused person disagreed.
It was at this stage that Mr Mullen-Ansah showed the accused the video in which he was wearing a blue-black T-shirt and smashing Maj. Mahama’s head with the block.
He agreed that he was the one in the video but denied smashing the head of the soldier.
The accused person said he got to the scene after Major Mahama had been lynched.
The case has been adjourned to March 13, 2023.
GNA