'Mentally ill' man arrested for illegal loitering, harassment at Airport City

A mentally ill man has been arrested by the Airport Police Station following reports of illegal loitering and harassment of individuals in and around Airport City in Accra.

According to the Executive Secretary of Airport City Association (ACA), Kweku Senanu Adzraku, his outfit was informed that the mentally ill man was charged for murder and stayed in Airport police cell for about three years without government prosecution.

Adding, the man was later released into the community prior to his arrest for harassment and illegal loitering.

Speaking in an interview with GhanaWeb, Senanu Adzraku said the man has been harassing passersby and loitering around the airport area despite various efforts to him to stop.

“We the [ACA] first resulted to a “macho” tactic where you shout and threaten him to leave yet he will leave and come right back after,” he said.

Adzraku added; “We paid for a police escort and made a medical deposit at a mental institute for him yet he came back after three days. Upon further investigation, we were informed that he was charged for murder and stayed in Airport police cell for about three years without prosecution. After the three years he was then released into the community”.

Adrazku said upon advice, the Police assisted the man to his family home in the Ashanti Region where he then returned again shortly after. We appreciate the Police for their efforts to assist with this issue.

“We also learned that even his family and friends have abandoned him after his initial arrest. It is quite a sad story for an ill man,” he added.

When asked if concerns had been raised to other authorities at the La-Dade-Kotopon Municipal Assembly (LaDMA) in addressing the growing menace of roadside hawking, loitering around the surroundings of the Airport City, the secretary said; “the President and Board have not left its hands off the issue, currently Airport Security has resulted back to the tactic of warning. Over the last few weeks, Ghana Airports security come and sack him almost every morning. He's moved to the shell station but pays visits to the City sometimes. We are monitoring this development to advice our next step.”

“We should also bear in mind that even though he is mentally ill, he is still a property of the state and ACA had to respond to the media on a number of issues or actions taken with regards to other concerns and this, however, does not deter us from doing our job and we will see to it that it is done,” Senanu Adzraku explained.