JJ's Boy Killed - Rejoinder

Dear Editor,

The attention of the Office of President Rawlings has been drawn to your (Daily Guide)
lead story of Monday January 10, 2011 captioned, ³JJ¹s Boy Killed².

The caption of the story and some details of the report have been twisted to
create the impression that the former President has shown personal interest
because he is related to Richard Yakah.

For the record, President Rawlings is no relation of Richard Yakah.

The source of your report is a statement issued by this office following the
former President¹s visit to the 37 Military Hospital mortuary and the
Airport Police Station to ascertain first hand, available details
surrounding the death of Richard Yakah.

At no point in our statement, which is attached, did we indicate that there
was a relationship between former President Rawlings and the deceased. Also
the former President did not visit the mortuary after his trip to the police
station. He went to the mortuary before going to the police station. That
fact was also clearly stated in the release.

The issue of suspicious incidents on the motorway is on the ascendency and
that is the only motivation for the personal interest shown by Flt Lt
Rawlings. Indeed he was surprised that though the story had broken at the
Legon University campus for several days and was a major topic of
discussion, the media had failed to pick it up.

It is unfortunate that commercial interests and petty political biases have
fed your imagination into twisting the basic facts of the suspicious death
of a Ghanaian whose family and friends would be wondering why the simple
facts of a terrible tragedy have been given a twist by an irresponsible
report.

We demand as a right, a verbatim publication of this rejoinder and a
retraction of the unfortunate lie in your report. The family of Richard
Yakah deserves fairness and justice, not a twisting of facts to create the
impression that the deceased¹s death is gaining prominence because he is
related to President Rawlings.


Yours Sincerely


Kofi Adams



January 09, 2011



RAWLINGS: SUSPICIOUS MOTORWAY INCIDENTS CAUSE FOR CONCERN
ŠAs accident victim is found with gunshot wound

Former President Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings has expressed concern over a
spate of suspicious incidents on the Tema motorway and called on the police
to apply all their expertise to help get to the bottom of these occurrences.

President Rawlings made the call when he visited the Airport Police Station
in Accra last Friday, following the discovery of a gunshot wound on a young
man whose car crashed on the motorway on Sunday, January 2.

It also comes in the wake of two incidents involving the former President¹s
spokesperson and NDC Deputy General Secretary, Kofi Adams and prior to that
the former President¹s driver who was involved in another incident on the
same highway.

Last November Adams was repeatedly crossed on the motorway at high speed by
another vehicle, forcing him to eventually crush his car into the shrubbery
on the edge of the motorway.

The former President said if there were people out there with ulterior
motives no one was safe. He enjoined the security agencies to do more to
unravel these incidents before it becomes a dangerous new local culture.

In the latest incident, Yakah Richard, believed to be in his 30s was found
dead when his Toyota Highlander sports utility vehicle violently skidded off
the motorway and crashed into a ditch.

But it was only when his body was deposited at the 37 Military Hospital
morgue that pathologists there noticed a bullet wound. The shot had run
through his chest and exited through his back.

The Commanding Officer of the Airport District Police, Chief Superintendent
Fosu Arkaah told President Rawlings that a pistol was retrieved from the
deceased¹s car. He confirmed that investigations were ongoing, saying
efforts were being made to contact the first person who arrived on the
accident scene to give a witness report.

The former President had earlier visited the 37 Military hospital morgue
where he was shown the body of the victim.