Soldiers attack Police station

Seventeen soldiers from the 48 Engineers Regiment, wielding clubs and belts with metal hooks, last week Sunday went on a bloody rampage at the Osu Police station and charged on the police personnel on duty, leaving some policemen and women and other innocent civilians with various degrees of injury.

Some of the officers had their heads cracked with clubs and metal hooks while others suffered fractures in the arm. The most serious injury was suffered by Lance Corporal Mary Damoah, whose head was crushed with a club.

Corporal Joseph Aboagye also suffered fractures on his left hand while Emmanuel Kojo Anim, a suspect in detention, had to be rushed to hospital.

When the police personnel on duty could not stand the beatings and the sight of blood gushing out like water, the Station Ordinance (SO), Rejoice Noil managed to sneak out of the danger spot to blow a whistle to alert their colleagues at the barracks and summon them for assistance. Sensing danger, the hasty-footed soldiers scattered and fled.

According to police personnel on duty that day, the rampage was ignited by the detention of two soldiers from the 48 Engineers Regiment namely, Lance Corporal Fiatekpe and SPR Daniel Deku for assaulting a police woman and mis- conducting themselves at the police station. Narrating the incident to the Chronicle last Thursday, the Acting Kpeshie Divisional Commander, Mr. Iddrisu Bapula, said on Sunday, one Nana Kwesi Fosu, a driver of a KIA Pregio bus with registration number GT 3968P, reported an accident involving himself and a taxi driver, Samuel Tawiah, who was driving a Daewoo Tico with registration number GT 8949P, to the police.

When the case was being investigated, Lance Corporal Fiatekpe and SPR Daniel Deku, both of the 48 Engineers Regiment came to the police station to enquire more about the case. According to him, Lance Corporal Fiatikpe introduced himself to the station officer as the caretaker of the taxi cab but they were told to exercise restraint because the case was still under investigation.

Mr. Bapula said while the two soldiers were going, they sneaked into the charge office and threatened the police personnel on duty, as well as Nana Kojo Fosu who was in detention pending investigation. "You this man, you have spoilt our car and now you are seeking bail, when you come out you will see what we shall do to you", Mr. Bapula quoted the two soldiers as saying.

He said while the threats were going on, Corporal Mary Damoah from Adabraka police station who happened to be the husband of Nana Fosu interrupted and told the soldiers to calm down because it was just an accident and that the matter was still under investigation. The Divisional Commander said before Corporal Damoah could say anything further, Lance Corporal Fiatikpe gave her some raw slaps which sent her sprawling on the floor. He said following the unruly behaviour of the soldiers, they were detained behind the counter for assaulting the police woman.

Barely an hour after the two soldiers were detained, one Major Ghansah who, Chronicle gathered, is the second-in-command of the 48 Engineers Regiment, surfaced at the police station and pleaded for the release of the soldiers with a promise to produce them for interrogation as and when necessary. The station officer agreed and released the two soldiers to Major Ghansah. The Divisional commander continued that about 15 minutes after the two soldiers were released, about 15 soldiers dressed in military outfits and wielding clubs and green belts with metal hooks stormed the police station and started beating the police personnel on duty.

Even innocent civilians were not left out of the beating as the soldiers knocked and cracked everybody in sight. Mr. Bapula said the incident was so serious that, the Station Orderly had to blow a whistle to alert their colleagues at the barracks for assistance but before help could come, the soldiers had scattered.

According to Corporal Joseph Aboagye, when the soldiers entered the police station they asked for Corporal Damoah and also questioned the authority the police had to detain the two soldiers. He said his other colleagues, including Corporal George Apprey and Constable Dabouh, were all attacked. Corporal Aboagye said he lost his mobile phone worth ?1.8 million in the process, while Corporal Mary Damoah also lost an amount of ?3 million, representing the money she wanted to use to bail her husband.

Unfortunately, the police officers who were on duty at the time the two soldiers were released were not the same police officers on duty because their shift had ended. Meanwhile, both Corporal Damoah and Corporal Aboagye are all said to be responding to treatment.