Torture signs on suspects were bizarre

Emmanuel Benjamin Ephson, Editor of the Daily Dispatch, on Tuesday told the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) that he filed a report on signs of torture he saw on suspects during a treason trial in 1986 because they were bizarre.

Ephson, who was a correspondent for West Africa Magazine at that time, said he had been in the practice of journalism for 30 years and seen many hazards. However, the signs of torture on Mawuli Goka and three other suspects in 1986 had since continued to haunt him, he said, adding that he could not stand the sight of meat for some time.

According to him there were a lot of international reactions sent to the then government of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) on the report and he was interrogated by the security agencies on the story.

Ephson was giving evidence in a case in which Christian Goka, brother of Mawuli, mentioned him as a reporter who saw and interviewed Mawuli, Kyeremeh Gyan, Atta Panin and Aforo before the end of the treason trial and execution.

Kweku Baako Jnr, Editor of the Crusading Guide, had at an earlier hearing given similar evidence. Ephson said he filed the report for West Africa amidst protests from Mawuli before the end of their trial and execution for alleged subversion.

Mawuli had expressed fear for his (Ephson's) life and asked him to drop the story, he said. However, he went ahead and filed a report on the scars and wounds of Mawuli, Kyeremeh Gyan, Atta Panin and Aforo, which was published in West Africa Magazine.

Ephson said one day during the trial when the suspects were allowed to meet friends, Mawuli, who was also an old school mate, and the others took him to a private place to show him marks of their tortures. Ephson said Kyeremeh had a palm-size scar at his back.

He said Kyeremeh told him that a hot metal was used to cut the flesh at his back and given to Mawuli to chew. According to Epshon, Mawuli told him they were given gari mixed with sand to eat. Mawuli's male organ was slit open and there were signs of torture on Atta Panin's penis and testicles.

Ephson said what he saw of Atta Panin's hands were virtually bones, and he told him that his hands were used for target practice. He criticised the use of torture of political victims and said if it became necessary for people to lose their lives, they must never die through torture.

He said although the Commission was hearing cases in camera, which gave some measure of security for witnesses in matters involving national security, there would be more witnesses who might come up with information on human rights violations if they were made to write their stories in the form of letters to the Commission. The Commission appealed to Ephson to furnish it with memoranda on issues that would attract its attention in its work.

Charles Nii Oku, an ex-serviceman, who was mentioned as the person who came to arrest Pastor Ekwam of the Nyamesompa Healing Church in 1982 on an allegation of an illegal detention of a patient, also gave evidence.

Nii Oku was alleged to have stormed the camp after the husband of the detained patient had reported to the Greater Accra Regional Administration that Pastor Ekwam had refused to release his wife who had been at the camp for two years.

Nii Oku said when he arrested the pastor, the woman and two people who were said to be soldiers; they were released on instructions of Warrant Officer Class One Joseph Kwabena Adjei-Boadi (rtd), then a member of the defunct Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) who was at that time a member of the Church.

He said while working at the Regional Administration, a man came with a report that his wife had gone for healing at the Nyamesompa Healing Church and had been detained there for two years. He said the man reported that any time he went to bring his wife home, Prophet Ekwam resisted.

Nii Oku said he armed himself and drove to the camp at Buduburam and succeeded in arresting Prophet Ekwam, the man's wife and people who looked like soldiers. He said he sent them to the Regional Administration, left them in the office of Quaynor-Mettle and left for another operation at Dansoman.

Nii Oku said that four days later he had a message that W. O. Adjei-Boadi had asked him to report in his office at the Castle. At the Castle, he said, W. O. Adjei-Boadi told him that Prophet Ekwam was his "man of God" and he had released him.

Nii Oku said he never got himself involved in the affairs of the Church again until 1985 when he heard that W. O. Adjei-Boadi himself had arrested and detained the said prophet at the Castle. He said he himself was discharged prematurely from the Ghana Armed Forces after a period of incarceration, adding that many of the people arrested bought their way out.

In another development, Warrant Officer Tornyeviadzi, who was at an earlier sitting accused by a witness of firing a gun into a vehicle thus injuring him apologised to the victim. Accompanied by his lawyer, Mbea Appiah, W.O. Tornyeviadzi apologised to Daniel Mensah Doamekpor who said the solider fired the shot into the vehicle at Taviefe Junction in the Volta Region in 1987.

The bullet grazed his head and landed him on coma for two weeks at the Ho Government Hospital. W. O. Tornyeviadzi said he did not mean to hurt Mr Doamekpor. He said the incident occurred during an anti-smuggling exercise and he was very sorry for the mishap and the injuries he sustained in that incident.

Doamekpor expressed gratefulness to Commission for giving him a hearing. Commissioner General Emmanuel Alexander Erskine, told Doamekpor to be grateful to God for his life and expressed thanks for the apology of W. O. Tornyeviadzi.